A Girl and a Mountain
by Of Healing Love
Summary: Mulan wasn't supposed to be discovered as a woman in the Imperial Army. Her life wasn't supposed to be spared and she wasn't supposed to go home dishonored. Shan Yu wasn't supposed to survive the avalanche and he wasn't supposed to take over China. Clearly, fate had other plans for the two...and it all revolved around revenge, obsession, a girl and a mountain. Implied rape.
1. Chapter One

_Hey everyone!_

_I know I said I wouldn't start another story for awhile, but I don't think this will interfere with Entropy because it's a completely different fandom. I don't know how popular Mulan is as far as readers go, but I'd love to get some feedback!_

_Anyways, chapters for this story will be longer than the chapters I typically write. I expect over 3000 words per chapter, which is about 1000 more than I usually write. Enjoy!_

_This chapter is mostly setting the scene for everything, by the way._

_**Warnings**: Mentions of torture in this chapter. Not something that happens in Disney movies (except it's alluded to in _The Hunchback of Notre Dame)_ but this is rated M and not, in fact, an actual Disney movie, so things will be a little more realistic in this story._

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><p>In Mushu's opinion, things had been going rather well up until the whole 'finding-out-he's-a-girl' part. Mulan had shown extreme bravery—and a fair share of stupidity as well, if he did say so himself—in setting off the cannon that had caused an avalanche, thus burying the Hun army in thousands of tons of snow. Had Shan Yu not injured her in his furious last act and had she not strained herself so much saving Shang, things might have turned out okay. She'd be known as a war hero, the Fa family would receive great honor, and Mushu…well, he'd have his job back. Probably the most important part of the whole outcome, really.<p>

But Shan Yu _had_ injured her and she _had_ strained herself saving Shang, leading to possibly the worst outcome—the discovery of her true identity. Although, he thought, it could have been worse, given that because she'd saved Shang's life, hers was spared.

Cri-kee was shivering and the small fire, made possible by broken arrows used as kindling, was pathetic at best. His charge was wrapped tightly in the blue saddle pad from Khan, although luckily it was more of a blanket than anything else.

"I'll have to face my father sooner or later," the young women sighed, her short, choppy hair falling around her face. "Let's go home."

It was now time to return to the Fa family home, all of them in dishonor for something or another—except for Cri-kee, he just had to live with the fact that he wasn't a lucky cricket and clearly had never been one, either.

"Yeah, this ain't gonna be pretty. But don't you worry, 'kay? Things will work out. We started this together and that's how we'll finish it." The small red dragon hugged his charge—and now friend—and then nodding resolutely, she mounted Khan and tapped him lightly on the flank, urging the large black stallion to take them home.

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><p>Hayabusa the faithful falcon soared overhead, screeching as his sharp predator's eyes scanned the snow covering the Hun army. He knew his master was not dead; a man so great would not be trumped by a little snowfall.<p>

His thoughts were confirmed as a large, black-gloved hand shot up out of the hardening sheet of snow and ice, followed by a strong arm shoving the snow aside and bursting forth from the would-be coffin.

The man known as Shan Yu, leader of the Huns, stood at 6'3 and was all muscle, despite the broadness of his shoulders and thickness of his body that would have led any other to believe him overweight. He had been known to wrestle bears and wolves and come out alive; his clothes were made from the pelts of such animals. His hood had been lost in the avalanche, leaving his half-bare head to glean in the weak moonlight, obscured by clouds. His long black hair was rustled by a gust of wind, whipping it around his face as he looked for survivors. Yellow eyes, like a wolf's, searched for his men…they would not all be felled by the snow.

His height led those to believe that he was a half-blood, Hun mixed with some other descent that would allow him his towering stature. It was well known that very few others were his size. Thusly, he could easily snap an adult Han man's neck with one hand and easily fight off another with his sword, his agility despite his muscled weight astounding to any adversary who lived to recount seeing him fight.

No, such a great man would not fall to even something like an avalanche; he was meant to go on to do great things, to plunder and conquer, to finally rule the Middle Kingdom.

Hantu and Baatu appeared soon after he resurfaced from the snow, the twins' bare torsos seeming impervious to the cold. Shuurkei, his famed archer, slid down from a ledge that had protected him from the avalanche and Orochi seemed to have found a small haven on the side of the towering mountain, which upon seeing his leader, he had swiftly exited with his sword still dangling from his hand as he shook the remaining snowflakes from his long black hair. Lastly, Malgai, who was only partially covered in snow, tore himself from its icy grip and appeared alongside the others.

"This war is not over," their hulking leader said, his voice rough and deep from the cold. "Let the fools believe they have won. Maito is on his way with the rest of our men…and then China will be mine."

"Shall we make camp?" Shuurkei asked in his high-pitched, wheedling voice, his hand never leaving the bow on his back—he knew his leader would not wait idly.

"No," Shan Yu replied. "We will infiltrate the Imperial City and take the emperor hostage. When Maito arrives, the city will fall, as will all of China."

He grinned toothily, showing his sharp canines as he looked at the Forbidden City, already alight with so-called victory, their unworthy soldiers now thinking they were war heroes. Only one of them could be considered truly heroic, however…

"Besides, there is a certain…cannon-wielding soldier I am most interested in meeting."

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><p><em><strong>~One Week Later, Forbidden City, the Imperial palace~<strong>_

The Forbidden City was in flames.

The emperor of China was now dead—beheaded publicly for all the people of China to see—and the Imperial army was in tatters, disbanded and useless. The rest of the Hun army had arrived two days prior and Shan Yu was now the emperor of China—although he referred to himself as a khan, a more fitting title for a Hun ruler. He had successfully merged the two territories he controlled and Hun women and children were already making their ways to the more temperate, forgiving lands of the Middle Kingdom.

However, the new khan of China was not satisfied yet.

He had imprisoned the once-heroes of the Imperial army—the no-longer-captain Li Shang, a stout but impressively strong man named Yao, the large man named Chien-Po whose strength rivaled Shan Yu's, and the lanky but intelligent Ling. The rest had been put to death, but he refused to kill these four men until they gave up the identity of the soldier responsible for his Shan Yu's near defeat in the mountains.

Shuurkei was an expert in interrogation and torture, at least by Hun standards, but still had not been able to get the information his khan so dearly wanted.

The first and only thing that Li Shang would give up was that the soldier was dead, but Shan Yu knew better. If there was any man strong enough to lead a rebellion against the new regime, it was this nameless soldier. There was no way the previous captain would give up the identity of their only hope, much less allow the new emperor of China to know of his whereabouts or living status. He would want to divert the attention to other matters.

However, there was one singular doubt that plagued the khan's mind: why would this soldier, by all means the most heroic of them all and the one with the most to gain from the success of the avalanche, not be present to receive the honor of his act? It was the only thing that gave Shang's word any credibility, but still, Shan Yu refused to accept that his greatest adversary had been defeated by the avalanche that he himself had caused.

Nonetheless, as the khan stalked down the hallway leading to the dungeons to intimidate the captured soldiers and perhaps finally gain the information he sought, Shan Yu felt the slightest twinge of annoyance at his situation. The soldier from the mountains was _not_ dead—the brave and foolish warrior would not die by any other's hand except his own.

Shuurkei met him at the base of the stairwell to the dungeons, having already received word from Baatu that his khan would be coming.

The thin man bowed, his ever-present bow still slung over his back. "My khan, the prisoners have still refused to speak."

Shan Yu shrugged minutely. "Their loyalty does not surprise me. However, I believe that their loyalty may be their downfall yet." His toothy smirk made Shuurkei grin and they proceeded to the underground cells.

The dungeons were a sorry place to be kept prisoner. They were made completely of stone and iron-cast bars set no more than eight inches apart made up the doors. The prisoners had a hole in the ground for their bodily needs and a straw pallet to sleep on. Occasionally a bucket would be brought for them to bathe with, simply for the fact that they could not get sick and die before he found his soldier in the mountain. The hallway was dimply lit with torches, casting eerie shadows that no doubt made simple things more frightening than they truly were.

"Fetch the small one and his friend," Shan Yu ordered the two Hun guards. Shuurkei stood a few steps behind him, pointing to the door where interrogations took place.

"You will find that I have already used it to capacity," the archer told him as they entered the small room. There was a solid wooden chair in the center with metal manacles attached to the legs and armrests.

It was true; blood stained the stone floor, as well as other bodily fluids that often released themselves when one was afraid enough.

"Have it cleaned after this," the khan said, and as he observed the amount of crusty brown-red matter, "I trust you didn't go too far? It is important that they retain their mental faculties."

Shuurkei nodded and shrugged. "Blood tends to appear in greater quantity than what is truly spilled."

Shan Yu said nothing. His archer was correct—he knew that better than anyone.

The short man, Yao, was the first to be thrust into the room. He was beaten black and blue and marred with cuts and lacerations, but overall did not seem too damaged as far as torture victims went. Shan Yu motioned for the guard who had brought him to restrain him. Under normal circumstances the gorilla-like man might have been able to overpower the Hun, but Shan Yu knew as well as Yao that it would be pointless to try and escape.

Soon followed the man called Ling and he appeared to be in worse shape than Yao, although not by much. There was still a fire in the young man's eyes, which was proof enough that Shuurkei had not damaged him too badly.

Although perhaps it was evidence that he had not been broken enough.

Ling was the one thrust into the chair and clasped down.

"You know we'll never talk," the thin man spat.

"Perhaps not," Shan Yu conceded, but the glint in his yellow eyes spoke of a different assumption. "Your loyalty your missing comrade thus far has proved…valiant. And yet…I am curious as to how far your loyalty extends to the other, more _present_ soldiers."

Shan Yu motioned to the guard restraining Yao and the short man was forced to his knees. The khan drew his jagged blade and walked casually over to him.

"If your loyalty extends to my quarry, who abandoned you in your time of need, perhaps it extends to the life of your friend?"

"…_He_ did not abandon us," Yao growled, despite the sword that was poised over the back of his neck.

"Then why isn't he here?" Shan Yu replied, running his blade slowly over Yao's spine. Then he turned to Ling. "Surely the life of one is worthy of a life of another?" He raised the sword, maintaining eye contact with the thin man.

In a downward arc, he swung the sword down, making to decapitate Yao.

"Wait!" Ling cried, clearly not willing to forfeit the stout man's life.

With all the finesse and poise of a master swordsman, Shan Yu halted his blade an inch from Yao's neck. Eyes focused on Ling, he stayed straight-faced to urge the man forward.

"His name was Ping," the man panted. "He was dishonorably discharged."

This was what Shan Yu had been waiting for. "And why was he dishonorably discharged?"

There was a hesitant pause before the man continued. "He lied about his family and was sent home."

The khan frowned, but assumed it to be another nuance of the fickle Imperial army. "Where is he now?"

"Nobody knows," Yao replied, glancing at Ling before bowing his head again. "He lied about his family. No one knows where he's from."

It was better than nothing, Shan Yu decided. They would live to see another day…but when this 'Ping' was finally found, all of the captured soldiers would die.

Without a word, Shan Yu motioned for the prisoners to be returned to their cells. He left the dungeons, at last satisfied with what he'd heard.

He would find the man responsible for the loss of so many men and he would kill him with his bare hands.

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><p><em><strong>~Two Months Later, Fa Mulan's province~<strong>_

News spread quickly to Mulan's province; Shan Yu had defeated the Imperial army and was now emperor of China.

Things might have returned to normal if it had not become clear that Fa Zhou was alive when many of the other villager's husbands were not, telling of his lack of participation in the army, as well as Mulan's sudden return. Through the gossip chain, lies and half-truths were spread and now no man would accept such a dishonored woman into a marriage and certainly would not want to have anything to do with the Fa family.

They had fallen on hard times. Many of the villagers would not sell to them and the little food they had would come from out-of-town. It was expensive to import the necessities of life and in the already-hard times, much of China's people struggled to make their livelihoods and survive. Even so, they would not sell to the still-wealthy Fa family, perhaps out of spite or jealousy that their husbands or sons had not been spared while the Fa family was dishonored but still whole.

It was tense at home. Fa Li, Mulan's mother, who was normally soft and patient, had become impatient and short-tempered. Fa Zhou spent much of his time in a depression and grandmother had gotten sick. Luckily, the singular doctor of the town took pity on the Fa family and tended to the elderly woman, although things were not looking good for her health.

Mulan was perhaps the only one who hadn't given up. She was, despite the dishonor and disappointment of her family, freed from the possibility of an arranged marriage. She trained every day, ignoring the mean looks and spiteful words of the women of the town. Truly, there was nothing else to do, but the young girl held out hope that their luck would change.

And then, two months after her return home, word got out that a multitude of Huns had been sent out to gather women for Shan Yu's harem. It was time for him to have an heir, for although he was by no means towards the end of his life, he was much past the time when he was traditionally supposed to find a wife and have an heir. Now that he was khan and emperor, however, it was important that he do so.

No longer a man, no longer 'Ping,' Mulan knew that there was only one way to defeat Shan Yu then and it was as a woman.

Become a part of his harem and find a way to kill him.

However, as time went on and they waited for the thundering hooves of horses approaching the town to choose girls for the emperor's harem—and to Mulan's surprise, many of the girls were eager to take this chance to become royalty—Mulan decided that becoming a part of his harem might not be all that good of an idea after all. She'd thought and thought about it and she decided that even if they could get past her nearly-flat chest—she wouldn't have deceived the Imperial army if she'd had a voluptuous figure—and the fact that she was apparently 'too skinny' and 'not good for bearing sons', she would have to pretend to be eager to sleep with the man who was the downfall of her country.

Mulan had impersonated a soldier and done rather well at it. She had also tried to be someone she was not for the better part of her life. All things taken into consideration, she would have been considered a rather good actress and probably the best person to infiltrate Shan Yu's harem to kill him.

And yet…it was the one thing she could not bring herself to do.

Even if she smiled, the hate would be clear in her eyes. Even if she played coy, there'd be a wave of killing intent every time she was near him. Even if she…slept with him, she would not be able to pretend that she wouldn't rather castrate him and end his line before an heir could be realized.

No, that was not going to be the way she would save China.

So the small town waited for the Huns' arrival with bated breath and Fa Mulan plotted for a way to end Shan Yu.

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><p>Now that Shan Yu knew the name of the man who'd conscripted, he'd been able to search the records for a 'Ping', who unfortunately did not have a valid family name according to the soldiers he'd captured.<p>

He could not find the man 'Ping' in the list of recruits before his departure, so he determined that he would search for the man himself on the trip to gather his women.

The last two months had been busy with repairing the Forbidden City and reshaping the economy to accommodate the influx of his people and then with finding women to become his wives. He would not have the palace concubines as they were still too loyal to the old regime to be of use. On top of that, he did not want just any woman to be in his harem, not just any woman to be his khatun. Unlike in the Chinese tradition, although the Huns could have many wives, there was a chief wife to whom he considered primary and the most important relationship.

So, leaving his elite warriors Shuurkei, Baatu, Hantu, Orochi, and Malgai, as well as his brother Maito in charge of the Forbidden City, he set off to ride with his men to handpick women for his harem and to potentially be his khatun. He would have no woman from the Forbidden City—like the palace concubines, they were too loyal to the previous regime.

Besides, he wanted virgins for his harem; no used-up woman would be of use to him.

The trip to find his future wives would take him all around China, but he only had a few specific places he was interested in—namely the small towns in small provinces that had little nobility and would be rife with women who wanted a chance at royalty. It would be these who were the most trustworthy, for these poor girls would, like any other woman, be greedy for the chance to live a life of extravagance.

It was these villages he visited in the allotted two months he would travel, but it wasn't until the last one that he found the woman to be his khatun.

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><p><em>Translations:<em>

_Khan - the Hun term for basically ruler. Shan Yu will be referred to as both 'the emperor' and 'the khan', depending on whose perspective it's coming from. The Chinese will think of it as emperor while the Huns will think of him as khan. Hope that's not too confusing._

_Khatun - the Hun term for the khan's chief wife. Hun men can have multiple wives, but there is a chief wife who's kinda the top dog, so to speak. In this story, the girl regarded as 'khatun' will also be regarded as the empress. (Three guesses as to who that's going to be...)_

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter Two

_Hello everyone!_

_New chapter up. No real warnings for this one, just getting the plot started. =)_

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><p><span>Chapter Two<span>

It was a day like any other; she awoke at dawn to feed the chickens and Little Brother, prayed to the ancestors for guidance, talked to Mushu like he wasn't back to being a gold-plated figurine again, and kept a close watch over Cri-kee as she made breakfast for her family.

It was a day like any other until they heard the thundering hooves that they had been waiting for since finding out that Shan Yu was looking for women for his harem.

She was sitting with Grandmother Fa, helping her stay sitting up while she had the simple rice and egg breakfast, when she heard the beating of many hooves on the ground and the pounding of the drum to signify their arrival.

"What's that, Mulan?" Grandmother Fa asked, pausing between bites at the thundering sound.

"It's Shan Yu's men," she replied softly, glancing out the window to see an entourage of horses pass by. She thought she saw a familiar figure pass by but couldn't but sure, so she turned back to her grandmother. "They're looking for women to be in his harem."

"Better go back to cross-dressing," Grandmother Fa advised, and although it was probably meant as a joke, Mulan actually though it might be a good idea. She doubted she would be chosen anyway, but there was no way she would be able to be in his harem without losing her life first—of course, for making an attempt to kill him. Even if she did manage to kill the emperor, he had plenty of men who would ensure her death afterward.

Chopsticks clattered against the china bowl and her grandmother leaned back against the headboard of her bed.

Mulan hesitated to say something, but Grandmother Fa spoke first. "Your father's old uniform should be back in his room. Best not to tell him what you're doing, though."

Smiling fondly at her grandmother, Mulan nodded. "Thank you, grandmother."

But the old woman was already asleep—the medicine she was prescribed by the doctor made her sleep a lot.

Mulan left her grandmother's room and placed her bowl in the kitchen, glancing out the window and checking for her father. She stiffened, seeing him at the front of the farm—he was inevitably receiving orders from the Huns to bring his daughter to them, her mother standing at his side.

She knew then that cross-dressing wasn't going to work. They would expect the Fa family's only daughter—_only child—_to be present for the picking, no matter how dishonored the family was.

Watching her parents for a moment more, she saw her mother nod at the horseman who was obscured except for his gloved hand and the hind legs of his horse. She returned while her father stayed and Mulan knew that her mother would likely order her to get dressed into something nice.

Fa Li returned and found her daughter in the kitchen. Not surprised that her daughter, vigilant from the war, had been watching, she merely said, "Go get dressed Mulan. They want all the eligible brides to be gathered in the town square by noon."

Mulan mutely nodded, a sort of fear taking over her that shouldn't have been present. It wasn't like Shan Yu was with these men and it was likely that she wouldn't be picked anyway…oh, ancestors, she hoped she wasn't!

It was so different, going from respected soldier to disregarded woman. Most women didn't think of themselves that way, but most of them hadn't been treated like a man before, either. During the time her secret had gone undiscovered, she had been treated like an equal by everyone she met, if not put on a pedestal by women because she was a _man_. Women looked at her with flirtatious eyes—okay, so _that_ hadn't been so great—but they had shown her the best of everything. Of course, it had only been during brief intervals in towns they had passed through that this had happened, but it had been refreshing. More than once during those times, Mulan had hoped her secret would never be revealed and she could just live like a man the rest of her life…selfish, of course, because her family would never see her again, but she couldn't help but long for the days when she had been in control of her life as much as it was possible to be. As a woman, she was made to do the worst of the chores, she had to cook and clean and then hope she wasn't married off to a man that she didn't like…Now, of course, she didn't have to worry about being married off at all because of her dishonorable status.

Except that there was the very slim chance that she might find herself 'married' to the worst possible man of all.

That in mind, she determined that she would not paint her face like the rest of her female townspeople would. Better to seem uglier than them to avoid the possibility of being chosen—even though, if what the matchmaker had said was true, she had an even slimmer chance of being chosen than the other women in town.

By the time she was finished dressing, she only had a little bit of time left, but she knew there was one last thing she had to do. When her mother went to retrieve her, Mulan quickly made the excuse that she wanted to pray to the ancestors before going to the town square, and yes, she'd take Khan if she was running late.

Fa Li had only clucked disapprovingly when she saw Mulan's makeup-less face, but there hadn't been enough time to say anything to fix it and so Mulan hurried to the temple.

Slowing herself down, Mulan languidly lit the incense and knelt to the floor, bowing her head respectfully.

"Oh great, honorable ancestors, Shan Yu's men are here today to choose brides for him. Please…should anything happen, please send Mushu to guide me." She felt Cri-kee, who was hidden in the folds of her clothing, chirp in agreement. "Please. Should anything happen, I beg of you to send Mushu as my guardian."

For a single, brief moment, she felt a blue light fill the room, but as quickly as it had happened, it was gone. Hope stirred in Mulan's heart. Perhaps she would see Mushu again…she'd missed him so much when he'd been forced to return to the ancestors, never seeing her again except as the gold-plated dragon on the plate where she left the lit incense.

As she sat up, she glanced sadly at her friend's place next to the incense.

"Oh, Mushu…" she whispered, and she stood, running her fingers lightly over his hard metal body.

Then, she heard her mother's frantic shouting from the house and she knew she'd taken too long. Running as quickly as she could in her restrictive dress, she passed the stones leading to the temple and over the bridge before reaching Khan, who was already saddled, and leapt onto him.

Kicking him urgently, they set off at brisk pace towards the town center. She heard Cri-kee chirping nervously in the folds of her dress and she patted him lightly.

"Everything's going to be okay," she said, but she was sure she didn't sound all that certain herself.

As she approached the town square and saw the intimidating, hulking, _familiar_ figure atop a large black stallion who gave off a much different air that her beloved Khan, Mulan's heart stopped in her chest.

_No one had said _he_ was going to be here!_

Suddenly, getting there on time wasn't such a priority.

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><p>"Is this all of them?" Shan Yu asked the elder who led the town.<p>

The old man counted the girls, much like they were cattle, and then shook his head. "No, Fa Zhou's daughter is not here."

Shan Yu repressed a growl of impatience just as a young woman—no older than eighteen, trotted up on a black horse.

"Girl, you are late!" scolded the town elder, Mu Yeng.

Stepping gracefully off her horse, the girl bowed to the elder. "My apologies," she said, although she did not sound sorry at all, before stepping into the line of young women presented before the emperor.

"Do not worry about her, majesty," the elder said with much more regret in his voice than the girl had. "She comes from a dishonored family and is not worthy of your time anyway."

How interesting…Shan Yu wondered what had been done to dishonor the family so greatly that someone would say that about them—and when he noticed the other villagers present nodding, his curiosity intensified.

He also noticed vaguely that she did not wear the traditional white paint and red lip coloring as the other women did, nor were her eyes outlined in black. It amused him that she clearly did not want to be chosen as one of his wives, and then looking at the other girls who were meekly bowing their heads to him and clearly dolled up to their best, he wondered why.

Silently, he dismounted his horse and stepped in front of the first young lady. There were eight in all, including the daughter of Fa Zhou.

The girl he stood in front of was clearly a virgin—she looked no more than fourteen. Without a second's notice he passed her. He wanted a virgin and he wanted her of child-bearing age, but he found nothing attractive about a child, no matter how pretty they were when dolled-up.

The second was more to his liking. He only needed two from this town to complete what he had set out for and it was likely that this girl would be one of them. She had a full figure and large hips, good for bearing sons. Her face, while not overly important, was satisfactory as well, although he wondered how she would look without the makeup.

He wouldn't really have to see his wives without it anyway—for all he cared they could sleep with their makeup on. A pretty face was of no use to him.

Shan Yu motioned for the second girl to step away from the line. Unless one of the other girls was much better, she would be chosen.

He continued down the line—the third was too homely and the fourth too tall for his tastes, the fifth was a minor possibility and the sixth out completely for her weight was unseemly. The seventh impressed him by inclining her head and making coy eye contact, but it also made it clear that she was probably _not_ a virgin as he wanted.

Shan Yu stepped in front of the final girl, Fa Zhou's daughter. She did not bow her head and she did not waver when she bravely made eye contact without flinching. However, he was a hunter even before a warrior and he could smell the fear rolling off of her in waves.

He stepped closer to her, towering over her small stature. She didn't move an inch or make any sound at all—the visage she portrayed was clearly without fear.

Looking into her eyes, he saw the fire that had been in the Ling boy's eyes. Looking at her face, he found familiar features—thin lips, nose that had been too feminine for a boy, strong eyebrows and a sharp jaw…

He saw the soldier from the mountain in her features.

For the first time since observing the girls, he spoke. "Do you have a brother?" His tone was casual, but at last she flinched.

She shook her head mutely, finally breaking eye contact. The fear was terror now.

It was impossible. She had to be lying.

"Does this girl have a brother?" he demanded of the village elder. The frail man, one he could crush with a single clenched fist, nearly jumped out of his shoes and nervously said, "No, your majesty, she doesn't. Fa Zhou has no sons."

His eyes returned to hers and she was resolutely not looking at him now, her face downturned to hide her features.

Shan Yu pressed two fingers under her chin and forced her to look up at him. The face was unmistakable, the resemblance too clear.

"What is your name?" he asked, not quite sure himself in what he was looking for; perhaps any indication that 'Ping' would be distinguishable from it.

"Fa Mulan," she replied, but her voice was too feminine. There was no way she could have impersonated a man.

He kept digging anyway. "And what is your family dishonored for, Fa Mulan?"

The fire raged in her eyes and she jerked her chin away. "I don't think that's any of your business."

Before anyone could blink at her arrogant, disrespectful tone, he hand backhanded her. However, she did not fall—some kind of instinct helped her stay on her feet and regain her balance.

He turned to the elder, his eyes passing over the now-frightened villagers. At least this man was not so foolish as to defy him.

"What is this Fa Mulan's family dishonored for?"

The village elder seemed to have a light struck in his eyes, as though he'd suddenly come to a realization. He shook his head fearfully and at his hesitance, Shan Yu drew his sword.

"Now, old man." He had approached the elder and his sword rested under the man's chin, ready to draw blood at the slightest movement.

"Oh, forgive me, your majesty!" The fear clouded the old man's gaze. "The Fa family is dishonored because Fa Zhou's daughter impersonated a soldier in the war! Please, spare the village-"

Shan Yu ignored the old man's prattling. Like a sun revealing itself on a cloudy day, everything made sense. 'Ping' had been a false name all along, although Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling had clearly known he was impersonating Fa Zhou's son—and they would pay for that when he returned. Dishonorable discharge; his inability to find a 'Ping' in the consensus records or army archives; the reason 'Ping' hadn't been present for the conquering of China. He'd injured him before he was overtaken by snow and clearly, the wound had revealed Ping to be Mulan. For some reason, the girl's life had been spared upon discovery—perhaps because she'd been the reason army was so nearly defeated.

He rounded on the young woman who was responsible for so many of his men's deaths and she stood tall, awaiting her death without fear.

Before he could strike her down, kill her on the spot, a much more pleasant idea surfaced. She clearly did not want to be in his harem, clearly wanted nothing to do with him and that was now justified. What better way to punish her than to do just that, force her to be a helpless woman under his rule? He could torment her daily, humiliate her, put her to work…and perhaps she would bear him a son and be forced to watch her children be raised by the Huns, whom she hated so dearly.

It was a revenge better than death.

He disregarded the other girls completely as he approached her. Grabbing her by the collar of her shirt, he pulled her face to his so that he could breathe into her ear. She shuddered at the contact, clearly reviling his touch.

"I think I have a better punishment for you than death," he murmured to her, then flung her to the ground.

She sat up, bewildered and finally openly afraid, and he spoke to the other villagers, pointing at Mulan and the other girl he'd chosen.

"These two will accompany me to the Forbidden City," he announced in his commanding baritone voice. His eyes ignored the first girl he'd chosen in favor of meeting Mulan's hateful gaze. "Have them prepared for me by sundown."

He allowed the men in his entourage to give orders to the remaining villagers for supplies, a hot meal, and shelter, while the others guarded the wagon that his other five chosen women stayed in for the journey. Shan Yu smirked down at Mulan toothily and she got to her feet quickly.

"I'll kill you," she hissed, and the villagers gasped at her audacity.

The mighty khan chuckled, amused. "I'm sure you'll try."

* * *

><p>A blue, mystical light traveled up the ancient headstones, lighting the kanji eerily. The First ancestor's spirit rose from the headstone, staff in hand.<p>

"Mushu, awaken!" he commanded.

Unlike the first time the small dragon had been awakened, he did not come alive with witty remarks or his pompous attitude. Quietly the gold turned to red scales and landed on the ground holding the gong.

"Whatchu need, great ancestor? Time for a family reunion?" the dragon asked smartly, not without attitude but certainly not as vivacious as he once was. His resentment for the ancestors, however, was clear.

"I don't like this," muttered the First ancestor, but with a world-weary sigh he looked down at the small dragon. "Fa Mulan had asked for you to be her guardian. She has been chosen by Shan Yu, the new emperor, to be one of his wives and-"

"Oh no, no, no! That old man did _not_ take my baby girl to-"

"_Mushu!_" the Fire ancestor bellowed. "You are being sent to protect her, although why she would ask for you is beyond my imagination." The spirit rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples absently.

"She _asked_ for me?" Mushu said, sounding aghast. It was clearly a surprise, as he'd failed her after all.

"Yes! Now go! She leaves for the Forbidden City at sundown!"

"Oh, you got it great ancestor!" Mushu said, some of his old spirit back to normal as he rushed from the temple. "No one's gonna touch _my_ baby girl! You can bet your life on that!" Almost belatedly, he turned back to the spirit. "Not that you _can_ anyway, but-"

"GO!"

With that, the travel-sized dragon sped off for the Fa household.

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><p><em>So, the story officially begins! Please, please, please review!<em>


	3. Chapter Three

_Hey everyone!_

_Chapter Three is up, almost 4,000 words, if I do say so proudly myself. I hope you all enjoy!_

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><p><span>Chapter Three<span>

Even though it was well into the summer, when night fell it was cold and knowing that this could very well be the last time she ever saw her parents, it was a very cold night indeed.

"Goodbye, papa, goodbye, mama," the young woman said. She'd insisted that they not see her off to where the Hun entourage awaited. She had no illusions as to how they'd treat her after Shan Yu informed them of her part in the Huns' near-defeat. She had not told her parents the story before and would not tell them now, especially since the man she'd wronged the most was her husband-to-be…or whatever concubines called the man they served. She didn't want to frighten them any more than was necessary.

She was glad they hadn't accompanied her to the town square for the choosing. Her father, honorable man that he was and as protective as a father as he was, would not have taken lightly to Shan Yu hitting her the way he had. Still, he'd expressed quiet outrage upon seeing the purple-blue bruise on her face from where the emperor had struck her.

Mulan wasn't seeing the world through any rose-colored glasses. She could expect much worse in her time to come in the palace.

Not for the first time, the young woman wondered if escaping would bring harm to her parents. She couldn't be sure…but she'd find out and her decision would rest from there.

If only Ping could be resurrected…no man in his right mind would follow a woman to war against the new emperor. She wondered not for the first time if Yao, Ling, or Chien-Po had somehow escaped, if they were possibly alive…she didn't dare hope for such things in Shang for it would only bring needless pain and false hope.

Yes, even though he'd shunned her and looked at her with hate when he realized he'd been fooled, her attraction to him prevailed. Perhaps in other circumstances in another time…

No, she thought as she carried her meager belongings out the door and patted Cri-kee through her blouse to reassure him, she couldn't think like that.

One last time, though—she glanced in the direction of her ancestors' temple and wondered if perhaps they'd heard her prayer. But Mushu was not here and she was leaving now.

Mulan struggled against tears as she said goodbye to her family's home. _Ping_ wouldn't have cried. _Ping_ wasn't weak…so why was Mulan any different?

She didn't have time to answer that question because she heard a horse approach her, a lanky Hun man atop the brown mare.

"Come, girl. Shan Yu won't be so patient if you're late again."

She nodded and walked quickly behind him as he led her to the gate. When she passed Su Ming's home and saw her walked alone to where the Huns waited, Mulan realized that the man accompanying her had been sent to ensure that she didn't run.

It wasn't like it hadn't occurred to her, but she was almost certain that a ruthless, evil man like Shan Yu wouldn't hesitate to punish her parents in her stead. It hadn't been an option anyways.

They arrived at the rendezvous just outside the northern edge of town, where seven other horsemen and Shan Yu awaited. There was also a large covered wagon and from inside she could hear the nervous chatter of other girls.

Apparently her town hadn't been the first stop in Shan Yu's search for concubines.

The man who had accompanied her strayed away as they arrived and went to Shan Yu's side. Said man was already mounted on his horse and when they spoke, he glanced in her direction. Instead of averting her eyes quickly, she shot him an angry glare and then resolutely walked up to Su Ming's side, who was awaiting direction as she.

Mulan glanced at the girl beside her. Su Ming was one of the prettier girls in town and because of this, she had always been perceived as arrogant by the other girls. However, Ming was also one of the only girls who didn't blatantly talk badly of her when she was in town and never threw her hateful glances. Upon seeing Mulan's attention on her, Ming smiled softly.

"I would say it's an honor to be chosen by the new emperor, but I don't think you'd share the sentiment," she said under voice so as to not be heard. Her lips barely moved.

Mulan snorted quietly. "You'd be right about that." Then, glancing at Shan Yu, "Aren't you afraid?"

Ming shrugged lightly. "I was at first, but then I thought to myself, 'How bad can living a life of royalty be?' and I wasn't afraid anymore."

Mulan's eyes widened. "But he's burned whole cities, full of innocents, to the ground! He killed the emperor and stormed the Forbidden City! He's-"

"-no different than any of our soldiers," Ming replied, almost primly. "Your father served in the Imperial army and so did you, both in wars against the Huns on our soil. But my grandfather served in the war where China went out to conquer in the East. He didn't speak of it often before he died, but when he was sick sometimes he'd say things that didn't make any sense to me, things about mercy and why did they have to burn that? War is war and China is not above what the Huns have done. The only difference is that it was our land and not another's."

Mulan had nothing to say to Ming's wise words. Part of her didn't want to believe what her fellow wife-to-be was saying, but the other part of her saw the truth in her words. War was war; no one ever really won, did they?

That didn't mean she'd forgive Shan Yu for his trespasses against China. Su Ming had never been in war herself. Even if what she said had truth to it, she'd never been on the front lines. She hadn't seen a village burned to ruins…hadn't seen a little girl's doll abandoned in the sooty snow of the charred town and known that that little girl was dead—that none that had been left alive, that there had been no survivors.

However, she wasn't going to argue with someone who could possibly be her friend in this. Mulan had never really had any female friends, but given that the palace was likely overrun with Huns, she doubted she'd make any male friends there either.

It was then that the same horseman who had led Mulan to the entourage returned.

"You and your belongings go to the wagon. Make yourselves comfortable; it's going to be a long night."

Mulan inwardly questioned the wisdom in traveling at night, but said nothing. It wasn't like anyone would listen to her and she didn't want to help either way.

They made their way to the wagon and Ming confidently parted the two flaps leading inside. There were five other girls sitting on cushions on the large, spacious floors, and they'd been supplied with blankets. Two of them waved while the others glanced up but said nothing, continuing to talk amongst themselves.

One of the girls who waved, a young woman with her long hair tied in a fancy bun and dressed in clothes more befitting of a farm girl than a future bride of the emperor, motioned the two newcomers over.

"Your cushions are over there," she said, pointing to a pair of blue pillows. "And your blankets are under them."

Ming smiled and nodded. "I'm Su Ming," she said politely.

"Feng Cho," the girl replied. She looked at Mulan almost expectantly.

"Fa Mulan," Mulan replied hesitantly. It had been a while since any girls had been so friendly toward her…not even before she'd pulled the stunt in the army.

"It's nice to meet you," Cho said, grinning impishly. Mulan was shocked that Shan Yu had chosen such a nice young lady…well, he'd not gotten to know them, only chosen them for their looks, so perhaps it was possible.

Cho continued. "This is my friend Aya. We were so lucky to have both been chosen!" The girls, clearly best friends, held each other's hands tightly and shared a secret smile.

"Nice to meet you, Cho and Aya," Ming said. Ever the proper one. Mulan was almost at a loss for words at how these girls could be so light-hearted about the situation. Hadn't they seen the evil in the man who'd chosen them? Hadn't they been intimidated?

A strange though occurred to her, alien as it was.

_Did they…find him attractive?_

Her stomach rolled before she could give that any thought and she discarded the notion immediately, instead going to claim her pillow and blanket and prepare for sleep. The sun was barely past the horizon and she was already exhausted.

Sleep on the hard wood brought her back to better times—sleeping on the ground while traveling with Imperial army after sitting around the campfire with Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po. She'd seen how they'd protested at her discovery and when Chi-Fu had said she was to die. She would never forget their sad faces as they'd turned back to see her sitting in the cold, the regret evident in their expressions. Unlike Shang, they hadn't hated her. In fact, she'd almost seen something like…admiration in Yao's eyes as he covertly waved to her before leaving.

Long after the wagon left and the rest of the girls had stopped chattering and fallen asleep, Mulan still couldn't find any peace. Her body begged for sleep but her mind was too busy with thought.

She couldn't get Shan Yu's frightening face out of her mind and the hiss of satisfaction in his voice when he'd told her he'd found a better punishment for her than death.

Reliving the moment, she could almost feel the sickening heat of his breath on her neck as he spoke and her body trembled at the thought.

An hour, perhaps two passed before the wagon suddenly came to a halt. Mulan was immediately sitting up, but the other girls went undisturbed. She could see Ming rolling restlessly and it was obvious she wasn't used to sleeping on hard wood. The other girls had clearly already gotten used to it and Mulan wondered how long they'd been on this trip.

She heard muffled talking from outside the cabin and strained to listen in, but all she could glean is that they'd heard something following them.

Shortly after the moment had passed and they began moving again, Mulan laid her head back down and was greeted with a muffled, "Whatchu think you're doing?"

She froze, unable to believe her ears.

"_Mushu?_" she whispered.

"At your service," the small red dragon announced, although in a low whisper.

She was stunned for all of two seconds before she immediately grabbed him and hugged him.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she whispered, perhaps too loudly.

"Can't—breathe-" he struggled to say and she released him, looking at him in wonder.

The ancestors had listened to her prayers!

Huffing and dusting off imaginary dust after the impromptu hug, he looked around. "Where's Cri-kee?"

There was a muffled chirping from just above her bindings and Mushu's face lit up.

"Oh, incognito-style! I like that, good idea!" Mushu said, keeping his voice low.

There was little to no warning as the flap of the wagon was pushed open. "What's going on in here?" the man asked gruffly. His eyes met Mulan's. "You should be sleeping."

She was unable to break his gaze and simply nodded in shock before glancing down at where Mushu had been on her pillow.

He hadn't been seen. _Good._

For theatrics' sake, she laid her head down and closed her eyes. The flap fell back into place and she immediately heard Mushu's quiet whisper. Belatedly she was surprised at how quiet the normally exuberant dragon could be.

"Better get some sleep," he said and she realized he was hiding under the pillow where her head hadn't taken up space. "Tomorrow we'll start planning your heroic escape!"

Mulan couldn't help but laugh softly and sleep found her quickly now that her guardian was there to protect her.

* * *

><p>The Forbidden City was only four days away and yet Shan Yu was still impatient to return. Hayabusa had been scouting ahead and there were no foreseen pitfalls to their journey along the way, but the need to make it back quickly was still strong.<p>

Of course he trusted the men he'd left in charge, but his position as emperor and khan was so new that it had truly been a foolish move to leave before he had stabilized control over the large nation.

The trip up until finding the soldier in the mountain had been rather boring, but he was finding he was rather entertained by the girl's presence. She kept to herself much like the other girls he'd chosen to be his wives, but unlike the other girls, she was not left alone in relative peace.

He made sure of that.

His first act as her husband-to-be was to make her walk between two of his horsemen while the other girls sat comfortably in the wagon. It didn't have as much of a physical effect as he would have liked—she had been trained in the Imperial army, so she was used to traveling on foot for long distances—but it served secondary purpose and that seemed to be working rather well.

It was important that he alienate Mulan from the other wives-to-be.

It would be much more difficult to break her if she had support from friends and by denying her chances to spend time with them, he reduced her hope of befriending any of them a good deal. It also served to give the other women a feeling of superiority over her; that she was singled out for whatever arbitrary slight he decided upon to keep her on foot while they were seemingly favored. It also served to keep her tired and lacking in energy to rebel.

To her credit, the young woman took it all in stride, not complaining, not stumbling or falling even when the road was rocky or difficult. She was starting to remind him of a Hun woman; proud, unrelenting, unwavering, even in times of hardship.

It was unclear as to whether it was something he admired or detested about her.

Despite her complete silence while they traveled, except when interacting with the girls at night, he enjoyed degrading her. It wasn't any great slight—simple comments about the weakness of her people when she appeared out of breath or mildly put questions about how she'd ever impersonated a man with her frailty. Usually there was no reaction, but one time, when he'd rhetorically asked if she'd had to seduce the men around her to keep her secret, since she was so _clearly_ a woman, she'd reddened and spat at the ground by his horse's hooves.

His men had heard the question and laughed raucously at her response, taking her silence and anger for guilt.

Shan Yu, however, knew better—but he wouldn't stop his men from jeering.

Despite his tormenting, he'd noticed a suspicious lift in her demeanor since the first night she'd been in the wagon. When their eyes made contact, she showed no emotion, not even anger, and promptly went about her business, whether it was helping with the chores or aiding another girl. He could tell that she was no longer fearful—not just of him, but of anything in her situation.

The khan was curious about this change and decided simply that she was planning something.

Soon after this realization, he had Caluun, one of his more favored horsemen in the group, follow her when she went to the bathroom. He made it clear that he was only there to supervise and not to get any leery thoughts of her. Caluun was not one of his most promiscuous men, to his knowledge, and therefore Shan Yu felt more secure in that the girl would not escape.

As he sat by the campfire as the girls ate, he watched every one of his chosen brides. Some met his eyes, blushed and looked away, still others smiled at him shyly, but the woman he was most interested in paid him no mind. She ate her rice and jerky quietly, only speaking to reply to questions any of the girls had asked her.

His men sat near and around the girls, having eaten their food before the girls were served in order to remain a silent but ready presence discouraging the girls from running off.

Of course, there was only one of them who would give it any thought and who would also have a chance at succeeding, but it was protocol.

Shan Yu's gaze rested on the slip of a girl who had someone managed to fool the entire Imperial army that she was a man. Her hair was cut short unlike the other girls', clearly for the purpose of disguising as a man. In the Hun army, she would have never passed as a man for a second; her features were clearly feminine by Hun standards and to Shan Yu, it was almost surprising he hadn't realized the soldier might be a girl on his own. However, the Chinese would have never allowed a female into their ranks, so perhaps it wasn't all that surprising after all.

Although when it came to figure and womanly charms, Mulan had almost none. She had very gentle, sloping curves, unlike the other girls, who were more or less of an hourglass figure with large busts and hips good for childbearing. With Mulan's chest, a little padding around the torso would go a long way in disguising her feminine traits.

All in all, she was far from the ideal mother figure…and yet something about her enticed him.

Perhaps it was the wild spirit in her eyes, the untamable flame. She reminded him of his first horse, a dapple grey mare who had just been caught from the wild. His father, khan at the time, had told him that if he was going to accompany the hunting party in three days' time, he would have to take the mare he'd been gifted with. He had tamed the mare enough to take her hunting, but until her dying breath—she'd gotten pregnant and the twin foals had been too much for her—she was like a raging forest fire, never to bow to anybody, and her fighting spirit never died until she did.

Or perhaps it was the strange confidence she exuded. Most of the girls he'd chosen were demure and determined to please, and they were confident in that they could. Mulan's confidence came, undoubtedly, from her experience in the army. He could only surmise that having been treated like a man for however long she was conscripted had given her a different idea of self-worth than normal women had.

Even still, it could have been the complexity of her nature. Fearless one moment, terrified the next, all hidden behind a stoic mask of bravery. She was an enigma; he could normally read others easily, he could read his _prey_ like an open book. Mulan was prey to him, but she was almost as hard to read as a man who'd been trained in subterfuge his entire life.

And maybe it was all these traits that drew him to her, wrapped in a relatively pretty package.

His gaze had been boring into her for a while and he could tell from her restless shifting that she felt it and was consciously ignoring him. Her eyes finally flickered up to him, just for a second, and it brought a toothy smirk to his face.

He would find out everything about his enemy that he could; he would dissect her until he knew her weaknesses and her strengths, her joys and her pains—and then he would tear that fighting spirit apart until nothing but a shadow remained.

* * *

><p>They were two days away from the palace when the opportunity finally arose.<p>

Mulan had decided that they were far away enough from her family to risk an escape attempt, after all, and thus a plan was borne.

She couldn't chance asking for a restroom break herself, but when Ming—oh, how she would remember Ming fondly for this little opening she created—Mulan agreed that she also had to go, as well.

With Mushu's help she'd found out about the man who followed her on horseback when she went to the bathroom and it was this unwitting convenience that allowed her to put the well-crafted plan into action.

It helped that Mushu apparently had a knack for imitating voices, as well. In fact, it was crucial to the plan.

She wandered out just far enough that she was safely concealed but also would have a decent head start once the plan unfolded. Mentally thanking Shang for his training in stealth, she went about her business as though she were truly going to the bathroom.

Nodding at Mushu, after a few moments she slowly crept away, keeping to the underbrush and not making a sound. When she was in position ten feet away from the horse, she made eye contact with Mushu and the act began.

As planned, he started the largest fire possible with his dragon breath and then Cri-kee and he were going to fan it until it became large enough to be formidable. Then-

"Help! There's a fire!"

Mulan internally cheered. Mushu could not have imitated her voice better.

The Hun escort hesitated for a moment, and then when the dry underbrush—thank you, summer heat—caught fire and it started to spread wildly, the man realized that there was trouble.

In the distraction, she ran up and sprung from hiding, quickly unsheathing the dagger Mushu had stolen for her early on. She plunged it into the man's thigh and with her running force, toppled him from the horse.

The horse was rearing and he was shouting for help and there would be reinforcements soon, but the fire—now rather formidable—would be decent cover.

Leaping onto the horse, she spurred it to take off and she sped forward in the direction of the fire. The horse protested in fear but it was well-trained enough to obey her and once they had passed the fire, they were off.

She glanced down when she heard panting.

"Baby girl, we're free!"

Cri-kee chirped harmoniously in agreement.

* * *

><p>The commotion had come directly from where and the escort had left to.<p>

He was immediately on his horse. Apparently, having a guard hadn't deterred her in the slightest, and when he found her she would pay-

_Fire._

Birds were taking flight, including Hayabusa, who took to the air quickly in search of the escaped girl. All the nearby forest animals were heading to safer areas and the woods were in an uproar befitting the cacophony of the flames. Fires were typically uncommon in the steppes but the Huns knew how to handle a small one when necessary—however, this one was beyond their control.

He galloped forward, thinking that perhaps it was a freak accident and Mulan had not, in fact, tried to escape, when he found Caluun on the ground, a dagger in his thigh.

"She took the horse!" It was the first thing the man said, and he pointed in the direction she'd gone—into the fire, strangely enough.

No good—the fire was already too strong to pass through.

Another horseman helped Caluun onto his horse and then it became clear that they would have to evacuate the area. Still…he would not be defeated not only by Ping, but by Mulan, as well.

He nodded toward Caluun and his able-bodied helper.

"Get the others to safety. There's river not far from here—cross it. I will meet you at the Forbbiden City."

The horseman's eyes widened in surprise, but Caluun understood exactly what was going on.

"Yes, my khan," they said, and then they took off to move the others to safety.

As soon as they were gone, Shan Yu kicked his horse's flank and they were off, going east to avoid the fire, as the winds were blowing north. Luckily, it was an overcast day that promised rain, so soon the fire would be out…still, it had been a large gamble for her to make.

Evading the fire and moving in the general direction of his prey, the khan and emperor Shan Yu could not bring himself to be angry at the girl who defied him. Rather, he was amused, for in a survival-of-the-fittest setting in forested areas, he would certainly be the victor, and there was no greater hunter than he.

"Run, mountain soldier," he murmured into the smoky wind. "Run, because when I find you…you will never get away again. _I will hunt you down._"

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><p><em>And that is Chapter Three! Please review, I'm a starving artist and your reviews feed me! =)<em>

_Cheers!_

_Of Healing Love_


	4. Chapter Four

_Hey everyone!_

_Sorry it took so long to update! This story is not on a regular updating schedule, but if I can help it, it will be. I'm thinking Wednesdays, but it depends on how Entropy progresses. I'm a little behind on it right now and damn, it's harder than I thought to stay on regular schedules for two stories!_

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><p>The horse could go on no longer, so reluctantly, Mulan brought him to a stop and dismounted.<p>

She'd done the best she could in her situation, but food and water were now a priority. Luckily, the wind was not blowing in the direction she'd ran and rain was in the air. In fact, seeking shelter from the oncoming storm seemed like a really good idea right about then.

"Oh, baby, we made it! Where to now?" Mushu asked, still invigorated from their rather dramatic escape.

"We have to lay low," Mulan mused as she tied the horse to a tree and sat down. She, like the horse, was tired, but the next few days spoke of little rest. Even though she doubted she would be pursued, she had to get as far away from Shan Yu as possible.

Upon escape and seeing how quickly the fire spread, Mulan had been worried that Ming and the other girls would be harmed. However, logic told her that they would not have traveled to so many different provinces—she'd picked up scraps of information about Shan Yu's travels from the girls—to let them die in a fire. They had been on a beaten path, so certainly that beaten path had to lead to somewhere safe.

Even so, it had been a dangerous move to make. She probably wouldn't have done it if one of the horsemen hadn't commented that there would be rain later in the day that morning before initial departure. It would have been more prudent to find another way to escape.

Nonetheless, it seemed the ancestors were smiling down upon her because everything had gone off without a hitch. Knowing that the Huns accompanying Shan Yu were no better than Shan Yu himself, it hadn't been difficult to bring herself to wound him. In her opinion, she hadn't wounded him _enough_, but time had given her little option. The main point was to steal his horse, not kill the man.

But it wasn't like he wouldn't deserve it.

It was over now, though. She didn't have to concern herself with their fates anymore—in fact, it was important that she focus on her _own_ fate, now that she was a wandering…something.

No one knew of her. Without her family, she was considered nothing as a woman.

Well, she'd been a man before, hadn't she? There was no reason 'Ping' couldn't make a reappearance, although perhaps under a different name. She…she'd rally an uprising. She'd train the troops she recruited the way Shang had trained her. And then…they'd overthrow Shan Yu.

If she didn't have to fake being a man, she wouldn't have, but it was clear that as an unmarried woman she could go no further than become a part of a brothel for means of survival. _That_ was not an option…so become a man again, it was.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the first drops of rain. She was almost relieved that the fire would clearly be put out, but more importantly, they had to find shelter.

"Mushu, can you scout ahead? We need a place to stay until the storm lets up."

"You got it! One five-star cave, coming right up! Cri-kee, you with me?"

The cricket chirped in agreement and quickly, they were off.

While she waited, she found a tree with a dense canopy to stay relatively dry in. Under the high, thick branches, she and the stolen horse were able to stay remotely safe from the storm, but when thunder boomed in the distance, she knew that shelter was going to be a major priority.

Mushu returned not too long later and under the tree, he shook himself off like a dog would.

"Dragons are _not_ made for rain!" he complained. Then, remembering himself, he pointed in a direction southeast. "There's a cliff over there that had a decent cave. Don't know if the horse will fit, but it's better than nothing."

Mulan nodded and untethered the horse. Knowing that he wasn't rested enough to carry her, they quickly made off in a brisk run towards the cave Mushu had mentioned.

It didn't take too long to find it. The cave was small and the horse couldn't fit under it comfortably without sitting down. However, the horse was also clearly used to these situations because it settled in quickly without a problem.

"Mushu, I'm going to have to take these off," Mulan warned, motioning to her nearly-drenched clothing. "I can't afford to get sick."

"Fine, fine," he replied, wrapping his ears over his eyes and sitting down. As Mulan stripped to her bindings, he asked, "Probably too late for a fire, huh?"

Mulan glanced outside, noting the wet, muddy landscape, and then nodded in agreement. Any wood would be far too wet to start a fire, even with a dragon's help. Remembering he couldn't see her nod because he was covering his eyes to her state of nakedness, she said, "Yeah, I don't think a fire is going to happen." She couldn't help but shiver; the rainstorm had brought icy blasts of air that left her undeniably cold, but she wasn't going to complain about it. The storm had ensured her fire wouldn't reach a village.

A silence prevailed over the cave as each present contemplated their next move. Finally, Mulan decided to voice her idea about 'becoming a man' again.

"I think I need to bring back Ping," she said over the heavy pattering of rain. "I'm not going to make it anywhere as a girl."

She hadn't expected Mushu to agree so readily. "You got that right! So we find the next village and you buy them man-clothes, and then the village after than you be a man again. You got a name?"

"I hadn't really thought about it," Mulan admitted. Then cracking a wry smile, she said, "Why don't you come up with one? You're so good at it, anyway."

"You know it!" There was a pause as he thought of names. "How about Tseng?"

The young woman turned it over in her mind for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Fine, fine, be picky!" Another pause. "Wutan."

"No, too girly."

"Baby girl, give me a break! You pick one then!"

Cri-kee chirped brightly and Mushu's face perked up. "Hey, that's a good one! Fang?"

Mulan nodded and smiled at Cri-kee, who preened himself for the good idea. "That'll work. Mao Fang. I like it."

The unlikely trio fell silent again and all that was left was to wait out the storm.

* * *

><p>Shan Yu wasn't bothered by a little rain, but he didn't want to wear out his horse. Unfortunately, the fire and the storm would ruin any tracking he could have done and it forced Hayabusa to return to him prematurely, but it was all of little consequence. He'd find her; there was no compromise. Fa Mulan would not best him—there was no way she could in this game that they were playing. After the rain let up, she would eventually leave a trail and then it would be an easy process of tracking her down. Even if she somehow evaded him—it was very unlikely—the falcon he had in his employ would not be fooled.<p>

As he sat under a rocky overhang from a conveniently located cliff he'd found, he mused on his options. Obviously, his wife-to-be would have to be punished. For a long moment, he wondered if it wouldn't just be best to eliminate her once and for all, but after that moment passed he decided it was _too kind_ of a punishment. He and only he would be the bringer of her death, but it would be long after she was broken in both spirit and mind.

The khan couldn't decide on any particular way he'd mete out his punishment, deciding that it would depend on how difficult she made it to retrieve her. He honestly doubted it would be any major feat—even if she did know how to hide her tracks, he was a master huntsman. It was unlikely she was at all skilled enough to evade him.

The Chinese farmed and harvested their food, livestock plentiful and crops bountiful. They had no use for hunting, not the way that the Huns did. The more he thought about it, the more evident it became that once the rain let up, it would only be a matter of time before he found her.

There was the small question as to _how_ she started a fire and had she'd been able to get it to spread so easily, not to mention how she'd managed to take Caluun by surprise enough to steal his horse. Caluun was no easy battle in and of himself; he was one of the burlier Huns, nothing like Shan Yu's muscular stature but still more than strong enough to handle a girl like Mulan. It was part of the reason he'd chosen him to follow her—it had seemed quite unlikely that a woman her size could so much as survive one blow.

And yet she had somehow overcome the force that was Caluun—otherwise they would be a day and a half away from the Forbidden City by now without the irritating fire and sidetracking.

At the same time, he felt it was perhaps a good thing. Once he found Mulan, it would be much easier to get back to the palace, as there would be no useless cargo—his wives—and he would be able to move at whatever pace he wished.

And so, with bated breath and ready for a very satisfying hunt, the khan and emperor Shan Yu waited for the storm to wear out.

* * *

><p>Even in the good old days of the army Mulan had never gone without food for too long. Yes, the training was grueling and she had worked up a rather fearsome appetite every single day, but she had always been sated in the end.<p>

Now, however, she was not so fortunate.

Before the rain had let up, Mushu had come up with the ingenious plan of holding the two canteens attached to the stolen horse's saddle to fill them to the brim with water after draining them. Mulan was grateful she had her guardian and friend with her, especially since she'd worked up quite a thirst in her escape, and soon they had a good few pints of water to sate them when the rain had passed.

The storm ran its course and by midnight, the stars were out and the moon shone brightly in the sky. Mulan felt plenty rested after waiting in the cave all day, occasionally dozing, and it had become clear that they would need to make as much progress towards a village as they could, the faster the better. Her clothes had fully dried and were wearable again, but unfortunately Caluun, the man who'd followed her and unwittingly graced her with a horse, had not thought to carry any rations on his mount.

Her stomach protested the lack of food for the fifth time since the rain let up.

"We'd better get going," she told Mushu and Cri-kee. As usual, the cricket was agreeable, but Mushu didn't seem to feel the same way.

"I know you're hungry and all, baby girl, but we gotta lay low!"

Mulan shook her head. "Night would be the best time to travel if that's our goal. Besides, I can't let myself go too long without food…it'll just make it harder to stay alert."

Mushu seemed to give it some thought before he finally acquiesced. "Fine, fine, but don't blame me if you get caught!"

Despite his refusal to take responsibility if she was recaptured, Mulan knew her guardian would do everything in his power to stop such a thing from happening.

Leading the horse out of the small cave, she mounted him again and they took off at a brisk trot.

"Mushu, if you're so worried about traveling at night, why don't you scout for some food? There should be some berries around here…I saw a few bushes yesterday."

This, unlike traveling in the dark, was very much in Mushu's interest. "You got it, baby girl. You just leave it to me!" He grabbed one of the saddle pouches, emptied its contents into another bag, and then set off to gather food.

Cri-kee decided to stay back this time and they set a steady pace north-westward, in a generally opposite direction from the palace and the Forbidden City.

Luckily the horse seemed to have a good bit of stamina and by the time Mushu returned with a pouch filled to the brim with strawberries and nuts—which was an unexpected but wholly welcomed turn of events—they had made it a good ways. Mulan slowed the horse to a walk and ate slowly, wanting to preserve her meager rations as long as possible.

When her hunger abated well enough, they again began to trot until dawn. As the sun rose above the horizon, dispelling the previous cold rapidly with its bright rays, Mulan decided that they would continue until noon and then take a break for the hottest part of the day.

"I still don't like this traveling at night thing," Mushu complained when they stopped in a clearing around midday. The shade was welcomed by everyone in the party and they all took respective seats near the tall trees under the thick canopy.

"It's our best option," Mulan disagreed. "If anyone _is_ following us, they won't expect it."

"I don't know if you forgot this, baby girl, but I found you and them Huns moving in the middle of the night. This ain't gonna be as much of a surprise as you think it will."

He had a point, but there was no arguing now.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to wear out the horse too much. We might have a long way to go." She glanced over at the bay stallion, who was happily grazing on a patch of fresh green grass from the storm. He had drained a few puddles and drank from a stream along the way, keeping himself hydrated. Mulan had also taken some water from the stream for the canteen she'd drank from along the way in their travels and the clearing they'd stopped in had a singular berry bush that while it was not extremely dense with fruit, had served the purpose of refilling her pouch of berries. She was rationing the nuts carefully as Mushu had said they had been much harder to find than the berries.

They rested until just an hour before sunset and then took off again, ready to travel through the night. Mulan hoped that they were headed in the direction of a village, any village. It was then that she realized a truly unfortunate fact.

She had no money.

"Mushu," she said, slowing the horse. "We need to see if there's any money in these pouches or anything that can be sold. Otherwise a village isn't going to do us much good."

"Gotcha."

After about ten minutes, Mushu had searched the saddlebags thoroughly and had only come up with the already-known berry pouch and canteens, a spare dagger, and strangely enough, a couple of silken cloths.

"These might come in handy," he noted. "But that's all there is. Stupid Huns obviously have no eye for those precious gems we need."

Mulan, however, felt this was a blessing. The cloth was not worthy much as silk was in abundance, but it could be used to tie her hair up and begin her disguise as a man again. She swiftly used the spare dagger—the other was kept in the folds of her clothing, easily accessible—and cut one of the cloths well enough to serve as a tie to hold her hair up.

She'd been forced to let her hair grow out again since returning home, but a trim with the dagger and Mushu's help put it back at the length it had been in the war.

"Mao Fang," she said softly. "Mao Fang." She turned to Mushu and deepened her voice much like she had in the army. "Mao Fang, at your service," she repeated proudly to Mushu.

"Now that's my girl!" he said, before coughing and correcting himself. "Now that's my boy!"

* * *

><p>The ancestors had truly smiled down on them the day, two days into their travels, when they stumbled upon a hermit's small house in the woods.<p>

Mulan had brought the horse, who she'd renamed Nishu, to an abrupt halt at the sight of it in the distance.

"Oh yeah, baby!" Mushu had exclaimed. "Thank YOU very much, First Ancestor!"

Mulan didn't question his strange comment and nudged the horse into a slow walk so as to not alarm the person who lived there.

When they arrived on the plot of land—she noticed a vegetable garden thriving to the side of the house and a well house several yards away from that—Mulan tied her horse to a tree and then approached the house cautiously. It was a well-known fact that those who chose to be hermits were typically not too friendly, but she was hopeful that perhaps her luck would continue and this man would be hospitable enough to help her out.

She should have known that luck could only go so far.

Rapping her knuckles three times on the door after noticing a light on inside, she waited for the man to answer.

Imagine her surprise when it was a middle-aged woman, ornery as could be, who answered the door.

"I'm not interested!" the woman crowed at the sight of a young and strangely effeminate man at her doorstep. "You can go sell your wares elsewhere, you incompetent fool!"

The door was promptly shut back in Mulan's face and she could hear the woman stomping away through the house.

"We _really_ need to work on your people skills," Mushu whispered from her shoulder.

Stubbornly, Mulan knocked again, ignoring the repeated jab that Mushu had first given her when she'd made a fool of herself on her first day in the army.

There was no answer.

Mulan knocked again.

The door slammed open. "I told you already, I'm not-"

The woman paused and then studied Mulan, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at the girl-gone-man's face and then her feminine attire.

"You're not one of Chen's sons," she commented. "You're not even a man." She paused. "But your hair is too short to be a respectable woman…"

Mulan was silent during the woman's scrutiny.

"What is your business here, man-girl?"

Mulan could hear Mushu's indignant muttering about the woman's rudeness but paid it no mind.

"My name is Mao Fang," she said, impersonating a man flawlessly if not for the clothes. "I am traveling and-"

"Cut the crap," the woman snapped. "Either tell me the truth or leave now."

Mulan cleared her throat and hesitated before deciding that this woman was her best bet for aid.

"My name is Mulan," she said, revealing her true voice. "I have…dishonored my family and…am on the run." She didn't dare reveal that she was meant to be one of the new khan's wives, although this woman probably knew nothing about the change in regime. "I was hoping for a place to rest for the night."

The woman snorted. No wonder she was a hermit—she had no manners or propriety about her whatsoever. No man in their right mind would marry her. "And you are attempting to impersonate a man…why?"

"I don't want to work in a brothel," Mulan replied honestly. "Pretending to be a man is the only other way to survive without being married."

"And because you've done it before," the woman replied, as though finishing Mulan's sentence. She laughed when she noticed Mulan's stiffened posture, her strange blue eyes lighting up in a knowing way. "I know much about you, Fa Mulan, the girl who impersonated a soldier to save her father from harm and then returned to your family in dishonor. It's your fault that damned Hun is our new emperor, you know."

At the woman's insinuation that Mulan had failed her duty as a soldier, the young woman ignored how the woman knew any of this about her and replied, "How is it _my _fault? The Huns were almost defeated because of me!"

The woman sniffed. "If you hadn't left so soon, you would have seen them survive the avalanche. You were the only hope for saving China and you failed."

It was then that Mulan realized the strangeness of the conversation. "How do you know this about me?" she demanded.

The woman sighed. "Come in. We have much to discuss. I thought I might meet you one day, but the spirits wouldn't be clear on the matter. You may bring the cricket, but leave your guardian outside. Dragons and I don't mix well as a general rule."

"Hey!" Mushu protested, clearly not noticing that the woman had recognized him as a dragon and not a lizard—at the very least, he wasn't taking the time to appreciate it. Apparently the situation was so surreal that no one asked how the woman knew so much—especially about the presence of a guardian. "Where Mulan goes, I go!"

"Mushu…" Mulan started. "I think you'd better wait outside."

Mushu rolled his eyes. "Oh, sure, take the psychic's side. Fine, fine, but you better bring me some dinner!" He crawled out of her shirt and leapt to the ground.

The woman ushered Mulan into the house, leaving Mushu outside.

Sitting on the ground, Mushu contemplated setting the cranky medium's vegetable garden on fire, but eventually decided not to given that it would probably ruin his chances at dinner.

"Stupid mediums and their stupid gardens…what's a dragon gotta do to get some respect around here?"

In his ranting, he didn't hear the screeching of a hawk overhead, high above the canopy of the trees.

* * *

><p><em>Well isn't all that strange? Next chapter should shed some light on everything. I hope you all enjoyed, and please feed the hungry author with your reviews!<em>


	5. Chapter Five

_Hello everyone!_

_Sorry it took so long to update. I'm going to be posting this chapter now and hopefully Chapter Six on some upcoming Wednesday - not sure if it will be the one upcoming or the one after that. It all depends on how quickly I can get everything written._

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and again, sorry for the wait!_

* * *

><p>The cottage was of a strange make, nothing like the typical Chinese architecture Mulan had grown up in. The walls were wooden but painted white and the floor was carpeted heavily, some rugs overlapping each other. The strange woman led her and Cri-kee to a small sitting room, where an ensemble of odd furniture was laid out.<p>

Mulan hesitated at the wooden structure with blue cushions. The woman had taken a seat in a weird-looking chair that had a high back and was covered completely in red upholstery.

"It's called a couch," the woman clarified, waving to the furniture airily. "They're rather popular out West."

Mulan hesitantly took a seat and found that while the backing of the 'couch' felt odd, it wasn't uncomfortable. She leaned back into it and found that it was rather cozy indeed.

Her eyes wandered around the sitting room. Given the humble exterior of the house, the interior was quite the shocker; tapestries depicting scenes like murals hung from the walls and the windows were small and square. There were trinkets everywhere, a strange looking clock and a large, lifelike brass tiger to her left, to name a few. The pathway behind the couch led into what appeared to be a very well-equipped kitchen, while directly across from the couch was a door that clearly led into a bathroom. The door itself was a mystery—it seemed to be on hinges as its wooden frame was clearly not meant for sliding.

"You'll have to ignore your curiosity for a little while, Fa Mulan," the woman said sharply, drawing the young woman's wandering gaze from the strangeness of the house. "This is a house like they have in the West. You'll never travel there, so don't worry about it."

"How do you know these…things?" Mulan asked, and for the moment she wasn't sure if she was referring to what had been said about her past and once-future or her knowledge of the West.

"I'm going to assume you're speaking of what's relevant this point," the woman sniffed. "My name is Mien Alba, but you may call me Alba. It shouldn't be too hard on your poor, inexperienced tongue."

Mulan's brow furrowed, both at the insult and at the strange name, but before she could speak, she was cut off.

"My mother was from Gaul and she was bought as a slave by my father, who was Chinese, like you." Alba tapped at her temple, motioning to her blue eyes. "But that's not where these come from. I have the Sight, and that's how I know so much about you."

So she was a psychic. It was the only way she could have known so much without having experienced it…but what did she mean when she said Mulan could have saved China?

Mulan voiced this to her.

"There was a crossroads for you at that point," Alba said. "You had two options at that point—either stay, discover the Huns and warn the emperor of your findings or, as you did, go home and lead the Middle Kingdom to ruin."

Mulan rose to her feet abruptly. "That's not fair! How could the entire fate of China rest all on _my_ decision? How was I supposed to know? Shan Yu's invasion wasn't my fault and it's not my fault he's emperor—I was the closest to defeating him that anyone ever has been!"

Alba clucked her tongue. "Closest to defeating him, yes, but is he defeated?"

The young woman averted her eyes, searing the brass tiger statue with the anger in her gaze. "No." The word was bitter, like acid, on her tongue.

"The spirits have not told me what is yet to come for you," Alba continued. "Oh, please, have a seat. Your journey isn't over. You're not dead yet, but if you continue to look at Rauul like that, you might be."

Mulan looked back to Alba. "Rauul?"

"My own guardian. He is faithful, if not rather serious at times." Alba waved at the brass tiger. "Oh, come on out, you old fool. We have company."

Mulan watched with unmasked awe as the brass statue seemed to heat up, as though over a flame, before a loud growl emanated from it and then, just like that, the statue became a living, breathing tiger.

The large cat's gleaming green eyes took in the room before resting on Mulan. His eyes were piercing, all-knowing, not unlike Alba's. Rauul stretched, arching his back inwards and dragging his clawed paws across the carpet.

Alba was on her feet instantly and conked the tiger on the head. "Not on the carpet, stupid!"

"Your ire ceases to impress me, woman," Rauul replied in a deep, rumbling voice. He ignored her ranting about how expensive carpet repairs were in this part of the world and turned to Mulan.

Alba noticed his gaze and turned to her as well. With all of the inhabitants of the room's eyes on her, Mulan suddenly felt very small.

"Fa Mulan," Rauul said, and even though it was not posed as such it was a question.

"That's me," Mulan said, her voice a little weak in the face of such a large, dangerous animal—guardian or not, he could make a meal of her in two seconds flat.

Rauul looked to Alba. "The spirits didn't say she was coming."

"I know," Alba sighed, irritation evident in her voice. "But you know what her being here means…oh, how I hate those old fogies' games."

Mulan was decidedly confused at this point and had come to the conclusion that she did not want anything else to be said if it didn't have to do with clarifying the situation. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?" she demanded.

The tone and decibel of her voice brought eyes all back on her, but this time she did not cower. She met Alba's piercing gaze without hesitation and then, after a long moment, Alba nodded and sat back down.

"Very well. I was waiting for that backbone to show up. Before we begin, tea?"

Mulan didn't _want_ tea, she wanted _answers_, but her manners wouldn't fail her and she nodded mutely.

Ten minutes later the scent of jasmine tea filled the air and Alba was seated comfortable, ready to tell Mulan what she knew.

"I have always been gifted with the Sight," she began. "It happened first when I was ten. My great-grandmother came to me while I was sleeping and told me that my father, also my master as my mother was his slave, was going to sell me off to the slave traders who came through town because he had gone gambling the night before and accrued some rather hefty debt. With my great-grandmother's help, I ran away.

"That was the first time. I've always been helped by the spirits of my ancestors, and as I've grown more attuned to them, I have been able to beseech other spirits as well, although they are not all friendly. Working with spirits is dangerous business and you have to know what you're doing.

"Anyways, not long ago I was shown you. My grandfather on my mother's side, who also had the Sight, has blessed me with many possible futures for the state of the world. He doesn't show me just anybody's fate—only those who are important to the workings of the world. I first saw Shan Yu's fate, which led me to see yours. Your future, and his, are inexplicably and irrevocably intertwined."

Mulan blanched at this. "My future…and Shan Yu's?"

"Yes," Alba confirmed, and Mulan felt a pit form in her stomach. "You both build off each other. Your loss was Shan Yu's victory, just as your victory would have been his loss. Even now…tell me, why are you on the run? I am sure it has to do with him—there are few events I have seen concerning either of you that has not involved the other in some way."

Now certain that the woman wouldn't do anything untoward with the knowledge—and also not entirely certain that Alba didn't already know—Mulan decided to tell her. "After Shan Yu became emperor, he left the Forbidden City to look for concubines. He recognized me and decided to take me as one of them. I escaped…and here I am."

Alba nodded sagely. "I wasn't sure on the details, but I assumed as such. Now-"

"Can you tell me if I'm going to see him again? If I'm going to be recaptured?" Mulan asked worriedly, interrupting the psychic without pause.

Alba shook her head and looked at Mulan with something akin to pity. "If I do impart information, it will only be about things that have already been done or cannot be undone. My pact with the spirits is that I cannot interfere with the future…not directly, at least."

"Then help me indirectly!" Mulan begged. "Tell me anything you can!"

The woman sighed, tugging loose a curl from the high ponytail her curly black hair was in. If not for the sharpness of her features or the clear wrinkles on her face, she would have come off as much younger. "All I can tell you without violating the terms of my agreement is that your future is entwined with his. I cannot tell you how, for even I do not know the exact details. I do know, however, that you may yet still save China."

"_How?_"

Alba shook her head. "Even if I knew the answer to that, I couldn't tell you. But I do know that your life will be in standstill the longer you two are apart, as will his. Neither of you moves forward without the other."

Mulan couldn't think of anything she wanted to hear less. "So I have to go back to him?" she demanded incredulously.

"No, no, I don't think that would be very wise at all," Alba said. "But-"

"He is looking for you," Rauul suddenly cut in. He'd been quiet so far, almost forgotten, but his rumbling voice was hard to miss.

"He's…looking for me? I didn't think he'd send anyone after me…there were only a few of his horsemen to guard the others."

"No," Rauul shook his head, staring into Mulan's eyes with a strange omniscient look. It was strange…he was looking at her, but he wasn't at the same time… "_He_ is looking for you."

It took a moment to comprehend the enormity of what had been said, another to completely panic, and another two-to-three to regain composure. "Shan Yu, the emperor himself, is looking…for _me?_"

Rauul went on, his gaze unwavering and still distant. "He was most unhappy that you escaped—he wanted to capture you himself. He is searching for you now…your reunion with him will be exceedingly unpleasant."

"Does that mean that he's going to find me no matter what?" Mulan asked, but suddenly Rauul blinked and then the distant look was gone. The tiger yawned and looked around as though he hadn't been paying attention recently.

Mulan stared at the animal before starting to repeat her question, but Alba stopped her.

"Rauul also has the gift of the Sight, but his is different. He doesn't have to commune with spirits for his visions and his visions are concrete, so they have or _will_ happen. However, the visions are sparing and completely unpredictable. His Sight is a rare gift, unheard of in humans and still uncommon in guardians. He was my grandfather's guardian on my mother's side guardian and my grandfather, upon finding that I had the sight, sent Rauul to guide me. Anyway," Alba motioned to Rauul, who was now dozing, "they leave him very tired. Don't bother waking him for another hour or two."

Mulan said nothing, sick with fright from what Rauul had said. Her reunion with Shan Yu—he'd said it as though it would happen, so apparently it _was_ going to happen—would not be good. She had to avoid that happening for as long as possible.

While the young woman's mind was plagued with worries and plans, Alba noticed that it was almost time for dinner. "Well, Fa Mulan, I will let you stay here for the night. Let me cook supper and then we'll pack a bag for you so when you leave, you'll be properly equipped." A glance at her clothing gave Alba pause, before, "And I'll see if I don't have anything to make you a bit manlier. Don't you worry about a thing."

Rauul followed Alba into the kitchen, but Mulan could only think about the weight of what she'd heard. She and Shan Yu were somehow tied together. At some point, he was going to find her and it would be very unpleasant. Her life would not move forward without him…but all she wanted to do was to kill him.

What on earth was she going to do?

* * *

><p>When Mulan finally brought dinner outside, the sun was nearly if not completely below the horizon. A chill had come with the setting of the sun and Mushu was decidedly unhappy about the whole situation—he would never admit it, but he felt nervous leaving his charge all alone in some creepy old woman's house.<p>

As he picked at the meat he'd been given—dragons didn't eat rice—he noticed that Mulan looked rather troubled. Her eyes darted to and fro, as if expecting something, or someone, to pop out from the forest at any moment.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours, baby girl?" Mushu asked, barely remembering to swallow before speaking. "Did that crazy old lady upset you? 'Cause trust me, the almighty Mushu is here for your protection!" He took another bite of the meat but kept his eyes on her.

"Well…no, it's nothing that like. I think she helped me…I _think_." Mulan hesitated, her mouth opening to continue but no words came out. She tried again before finally succeeding. "Shan Yu is looking for me. _Himself_."

As much as Mushu talked big and made loud proclamations, there was nothing to say to this except, "Ohhh, boy. This is _not_ good."

Mulan sighed. "I know, you don't have to tell me twice. And her guardian tiger said that I _will_ see him again…and that it 'will be unpleasant,'" she quoted. "So no matter what I do, he's going to capture me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a minute! Who says he's going to capture you? For all we know, it might be across a battlefield—we still gonna rally those soldiers, right? And he didn't say who it would be unpleasant for, did he?"

This significantly brightened Mulan's countenance. "You're right!" she said, sounding extremely relieved. "It doesn't mean it's going to be unpleasant for _me—_maybe I'm going to kill him next time I see him!"

Then she paused, before uncertainly continuing.

"Alba said that our fates are intertwined…" She went on to tell Mushu about the path she'd unwittingly chosen that could have led to Shan Yu's defeat and the fact that she could not move forward without him nor he without her.

Mushu wasn't fazed. "If he's dead, then your path's gonna move forward anyways, right? So we just gotta kill Big-and-Scary and you'll be fine."

Mulan laughed at Mushu's nickname for the khan and then stood. "Since Alba won't let you inside, will you keep watch? I need a good night's rest. She also found some fabric she said that would be suitable for men's clothing, so when she finishes with that we'll leave and Mao Fang will make an appearance."

Mushu nodded. "Sure thing, baby girl. No Hun is gonna get past my all-seeing eyes!"

The young woman smiled and nodded. "Good night, Mushu."

"Good night, baby girl."

* * *

><p>The next morning was hailed by a bright sun and a warm breeze, reminiscent of spring. Mulan awoke after resting on the surprisingly comfortable couch, brought to consciousness by Alba's humming and the light peering in through the small square window next to the door.<p>

Alba appeared in the room just as Mulan sat up. "You're finally awake," she said, not unkindly but not straying from her seemingly naturally sharp personality. "Breakfast is ready, but your clothes aren't. You'll probably be here until midafternoon."

Mulan stretched and nodded. "That's fine. It's not like I have anywhere particular to be, anyways."

Alba nodded and then headed back into the kitchen, where a delicious smell was emanating from.

The young woman had slept very well the night previous. Mushu's words of encouragement—that Shan Yu wasn't necessarily going to catch her and the unpleasantness might be on his part, not hers—had relieved her more than she could have fathomed before talking to him. She was content with where her life was headed; she could still defeat Shan Yu. This battle wasn't over yet.

Standing up and stretching more fully, Mulan contemplated on how she could return Alba's kindness. The older woman had helped her quite a lot, not only just giving her a place to stay, supplies for the road, and helping her disguise herself as a man again, but by revealing what she could about Mulan's future. While not all of it was encouraging, it was helpful nonetheless and Mulan had been raised to return the kindness she had been given. That said, she had no idea what Alba might want as repayment.

She had stripped down to her bindings and underwear while under the soft blanket Alba had lent her for the night, so with a quick look to her surroundings to check for any unwanted watchers—although the only other human present was Alba—Mulan redressed before walking outside to confer with Mushu about the days ahead.

Cri-kee had gone out to join him sometime during the night and the two seemed to be playing some kind of game with strategically-placed rocks when she came outside. Upon sighting her, Cri-kee chirped loudly and Mushu turned to her.

"Good morning sleeping beauty!" he called. "I thought you were never gonna wake up!"

Mulan shrugged. "It's the best rest I'm going to get for a while, I'm sure."

"Mmhmm," Mushu grunted noncommittally. "Anyway, what's the plan?"

"Well, Alba is making me some clothes for my disguise and after that, we'll leave. But I'm trying to figure out right now how to repay her…" The young woman glanced at the cozy cottage's less-than-impressive exterior. "I just can't think of anything she'd really want from me. I have nothing to offer."

"Just ask," Mushu replied, inspecting his claws in such a way that showed extreme boredom. "She's crazy anyway. What do crazy people really need?"

"I heard that!" called a voice from behind the closed front door, and then Alba's head poked out from behind the door. "Girl, breakfast is ready. And _you-_" she pointed at Mushu, "-will not be getting any."

"Well hold up just a minute now!" Mushu replied, abandoning his lazy claw-inspection and waving a fist at her. "You can't go starving the guardian here! My powers are-"

"-beyond my mortal imagination," scoffed Alba. Mushu looked at her dumbly. "You and Rauul aren't all that different as far as guardians go, one of you is just better on the eyes."

Mushu frowned. "I don't think-"

Mulan cut in finally. "Let's go have breakfast." She stood and secretly winked at Mushu, a promise that she would make sure he was properly fed.

The dragon said nothing and slumped against the stone wall of the house, glancing at Cri-kee. "No respect, I tell ya. No respect."

Cri-kee chirped sarcastically.

"What do you mean, _rude?_ I'm just telling it like it is! That is one crazy old bat!"

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><p><em>So believe it or not, I love Alba's character. She's a sour, mean old woman but she's doing her best to help Mulan despite her crankiness.<em>

_Please review! They all mean so much to me and I really would love more feedback on how I'm doing with this story!_


	6. Chapter Six

_Hey everyone!_

_Shorter chapter than usual today, but it's full of action to make up for it!_

_Note to everyone who's been reading with me so far: Chapter Seven is going to contain **non-explicit rape.** There will be a more in-depth explanation of why it's necessary in the author's note in the chapter, but I want to let you all know that this is NOT romance. There is only one line of description and according to my beta, Duesal10, it completely fits with Fanfiction's rating of M. It is NECESSARY TO THE STORY, but I tried to make it as easy to swallow as possible given it's subject matter._**  
><strong>

_Again, more in-depth analyzing of it next chapter. All I'm asking is that you do not flame me because I WILL block you. I'm tired of flames and went out of my way to make this story as fun to read as possible._

_Anyways, enjoy the chapter!_

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><p>Mulan left Alba's home a little later than originally planned—around sunset. Before leaving, Mulan had mustered up the courage to ask Alba how she could repay her kindness. The old woman had simply said, "Make the right decisions and save China."<p>

Right. Save China. No big deal, really. Right? Right.

Rauul had animated again in order to say goodbye and as it turned out, Mushu and Rauul really were a lot alike, as Alba had said. The only difference between them—and Mulan would _never_ tell her dragon guardian this—was that Rauul was intimidating while Mushu was…not.

Mulan's new clothing was, in a word, manly—just as she wanted it. Fitted pants made out of beige silk and a red and black changshan were the outer layers, but Alba had gone so far as to wrap Mulan's bindings in a different way that completely hid her already-small breasts. In fact, with her hair up and a pair of generic shoes for travel—Alba hadn't told Mulan where she'd gotten these, but they fit just fine—Mulan looked about as masculine as she could hope to get in this lifetime, short of cutting off all her hair.

Mulan might be posing as a man, but she wasn't going to completely cut off all her hair. She would be a woman again someday…well, maybe. At this point, she didn't plan on marrying _ever_, so perhaps she would never need to reveal her true gender.

All thoughts for another day.

With the new rations attached to Nishu's saddle and full from dinner, Mulan, Mushu, and Cri-kee were on the road again.

Alba had told them of a village not too far from where they were that would be a good place to start recruiting men to rebel—or, as Alba preferred, to blend in as a wandering swordsman. Of course, not having a sword was something of a problem, but the older woman had assured her that the blacksmith had no children and might allow her to work for him in exchange for crafting her a blade. It was worth a shot, so Mulan went off in that direction.

The night was warm, but thankfully not hot, and made for very good traveling weather. Mushu had made a makeshift torch along the way using some of the silk leftover from the Hun who'd previously ridden Nishu and it helped to guide the way as the moon was waning. Alba had said the trip would only take about a day and a half, so Mulan planned for three days to get sufficient rest. Her rations would last her a while, hopefully long enough to be of use once she got to the village.

It was not long since they'd left—the sun had set about three hours' past, making it just late enough for it to be pitch black, when there was the loud screeching of a hawk from overhead.

Mulan immediately pulled Nishu to a halt. "What was that?" she hissed, keeping her voice low by default in the darkness. Even the torch's light did not go too far, only enough to see what was just directly ahead.

"That was a hawk," Mushu whispered back. "Odd…"

"What?" Mulan said urgently. A good, potent dose of fear shot viciously down her spine. Something about this was not right…

Cri-kee chirped just as Mushu was about to speak.

"I know that!" Mushu said loudly back to Cri-kee and Mulan shushed him instantly. There was a low rumbling coming not far from them. Something strangely like…

_Hoof beats?_

Mushu didn't seem to notice, continuing on casually, "Hawks don't normally fly at night. It's more of a daytime kind of-HEY!"

Mulan jammed her heels into Nishu's flanks, abruptly wheeling him around and in the opposite direction of the oncoming traveler and taking off at the fastest pace possible.

"Now what was that all about?" Mushu shouted loudly in order to be heard over the running horse.

"Shan Yu has a trained hawk. Listen," Mulan told him breathlessly as she spurred Nishu on faster.

Mushu quickly caught on to what was going on—the neighing of a nearing horse who was _not_ Nishu helping him realize the gravity of the situation all the faster—and he and Cri-kee immediately dove to safety, hiding in the largest empty pouch.

Mulan focused entirely on getting away from Shan Yu. However, her mind raced beyond just escape. She knew that Huns were primarily hunters, always eating wild deer and rabbits and goats, so they knew better than to charge up to prey loudly and give away their position. Why would Shan Yu do that if he was truly looking for her?

It was possible that it wasn't Shan Yu, but then why the screeching hawk? Beyond that, if it _was _Shan Yu, why would he allow his hawk to put her on the alert?

From what Alba had told her, where she lived was truly in the middle of nowhere. There were no major roads, or roads at all, within a mile from her home. There was no reason for anyone to be out here in the middle of the woods, charging in her direction, except for someone who was looking for her. The only person who had any reason to be looking for her was Shan Yu.

But Shan Yu _knew better_ than to basically tell her where he was like he had! It didn't make any-

_Oh._

He wanted a chase; a hunt.

The bastard was so _certain_ that he would capture her that he'd risked giving away his position and purposely let her know he was coming because he _wanted_ her to run. He wanted to hunt her down, make her afraid.

Well, he'd succeeded in frightening her. However, he would _not_ succeed in capturing her. He had been arrogant before and it had cost him his army; now, the stakes were much less, but his arrogance would once again be his undoing.

"Mushu," Mulan hissed.

The red dragon's head popped out of the pouch. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to get off the horse and go in a different direction," she said, as quietly as possible while still being heard. "I need you to stay back and keep running the horse the same way I've been going."

"Oh no, I am NOT leaving you, babygirl-"

"I have to throw him off my tracks," she replied, her panic growing as Nishu began to tire. "I'll leave a trail for you to follow…it'll be rocks. Once you see Shan Yu, turn the Nishu off and sending him running as fast as possible. Then come find me."

Mushu blinked several times, apparently having trouble processing what was going on.

"Mushu! Now!"

"WHAT?"he exclaimed, but Mulan was already rolling off the horse, falling hard to the ground, and then darting off into the underbrush.

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><p>Mushu hesitated for only a second before picking Cri-kee up by the antennae. "You follow her, you got that?"<p>

Cri-kee chirped and took off after Mulan, while Mushu tried to figure out how he was going to spur the horse one when he couldn't command him like Mulan did.

Soon it occurred to him. Nothing would make an animal run faster than a fire under its ass.

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><p>Shan Yu was quite disappointed when the hoof beats of the mountain soldier's horse slowed to a stop. Had she given up so easily? The hunt had barely begun…<p>

And then he caught up to the steed and realized that there was no one manning it. A quick search of the surroundings showed no tracks other than the animal's, meaning that it had been running on its own for quite a while—in a straight line, not stopping or slowing, until just now.

It was _too long_ to have just been slapped on the rear and sent off. Somehow, some _way_, this Fa Mulan had help that was not human. Shan Yu did not like not knowing an enemy's tactics and Mulan had some tactic, something on her side that was making it impossible to track her down. This was evident by the lack of human tracks anywhere near the horse—if there had been someone else, there would have been a trail.

With a short whistle he called the stolen and then abandoned horse to his side. The stallion, named Baan, trotted over slowly, still huffing and puffing from the arduous run.

He dismounted. Hayabusa swooped back down and landed gracefully on his shoulder, awaiting instruction. He sent the loyal creature back to tracking the girl and then turned to check the saddlebags.

It was as he'd thought. The old woman had helped her—the rations weren't more than a day old. There was some money in one of the pouches, which he left behind as he had no need for it. There was a long branch with burnt silk wrapped around the end—the lit torch that he given away her position. It had been put out, but why had it gone back into the saddlebag and not just dropped away? Another fire would have certainly ensured her safety.

A glance at the sky told him why. It was clear with no signs of possible rain. Even when concerned for her own safety, her own _survival_, she would not go to every length to protect herself—she had been afraid that if she left it on the ground, the fire she started would not be put out.

Wise, but the wrong decision. He would find her now and he would find her _tonight_.

Hayabusa hadn't returned yet but Shan Yu had no real need of the hawk to find his prey now. Somewhere along the way, she had gotten off the horse. Such a fall would definitely leave a mark on the ground and there would be a trail.

Mounting his horse again, he took his time following the tracks backwards until he found the crumpled bush into which she'd landed. It spoke of a controlled fall, one that soldiers were undoubtedly taught in the army to ensure no injury when hastily dismounting a horse. It had obviously been a graceful fall, once again showing the girl's skill.

She was a smart one to have sent him on a wild goose chase while she attempted to evade him. A frown marred his face as he realized he'd once again allowed his confidence to mislead him, much like at the Tung Shao Pass. Fa Mulan was a force to be reckoned with, despite her small stature and seeming harmlessness.

Against his will, a new kind of respect was borne for her. He would not make the same mistake of underestimating her again.

He dismounted his stallion and led him on foot. The tracks were faint at first, but then the strangest of all things happened.

He found a trail of rocks.

At first glance it seemed to be nothing, but the fallen rocks followed the tracks of a small human woman. Why would she be so foolish? She had to have known that-

It didn't take long to realize. She'd sent her help in the other direction, so she'd left a trail for whoever it was to follow her. That meant that her companion was sentient, but perhaps not human, given that there were no human tracks.

The Huns had always been raised to know about spiritual animals—it was believed by many that Hayabusa was one of them or at least a descendent of one. The hawk bordered on sentient, making his training much easier and much more effective than just an ordinary hawk. Shan Yu knew that the Chinese worshipped their ancestors and the animals of their zodiac, so perhaps it was possible that Mulan had a spiritual companion, a guide of sorts.

It would certainly explain how she'd evaded him, but…

This was growing more and more baffling by the moment.

Putting all disturbing thoughts aside, Shan Yu followed the trail, eventually tethering his horse to a low-hanging branch to continue on foot alone. He would not risk her running again—better for her to think she'd gotten away, that she'd fooled him, and then be caught by surprise.

She could not be given any time to formulate another plan.

The rocks slowly came closer and closer together until they ended near a stream. Upon crossing the stream they did not continue, which meant she was somewhere nearby—or that she expected him to follow her and had purposely stopped. There was also the chance that she'd heard him coming.

For a long moment he considered his next move. There were no more tracks in any direction—she'd walked _in_ the stream, apparently.

It was then that Hayabusa conveniently returned, not landing but wheeling around in midair to lead his master to his prey. Shan Yu was confident that he would have found her eventually, but Hayabusa's excellent training and superb hunting skills helped set him apart from other Huns—because the hawk was loyal and would only respond to Shan Yu's commands. Yet another reason Hayabusa was considered more of a guardian than just an intelligent bird of prey.

He found her and he wanted to laugh aloud. The girl was haggard, her hair put up into a topknot like a typical Chinese man's, but strands had come loose as she traveled and framed her face, strangely adding to her aesthetic appeal. Her clothing was clearly masculine and her bindings were bound in such a way that she truly could pass for a fairly feminine young man. However, all of those things were not was caused him such amusement.

The girl was dead asleep, propped up against a tree.

He had clearly overestimated her stamina. It seemed she could only go so far before her body failed her. Indeed, she was truly a woman, despite her best efforts at being male. Chinese women were frail, weak; they had their uses but they would never be warriors.

The difference between Fa Mulan and the rest of her gender was that she had a brain _and she used it_.

Drawing his sword, he silently approached her. Standing tall above her tiny, sleeping form, he pressed the jagged blade under her chin and let its razor sharp tip draw the slightest of blood, immediately jolting her awake.

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him and they showed delicious fear. He allowed himself a taunting smirk as he spoke.

"You won't get away from me again."

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><p><em>So, Shan Yu and Mulan are reunited. Next chapter is longer, and the chapter after that I plan to be the longest yet!<em>

_Thanks for reading!_


	7. Chapter Seven

_Hi everyone!_

_New update! (But you already knew that.) Anyways, this is and will be probably the darkest chapter of the entire story. There is implied rape in this, although not described, and it's over all really depressing. My beta, Duesal10, can testify for this._

_In all honesty, you can handle this chapter if you're not bothered by violence or manhandling with a slightly citrus flavor. Anyways...enjyoy!_

_For all of you who did not read the Author's Note:_

_**NOTE: IMPLIED RAPE WARNIN**__**G!**_

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><p>Mulan wasn't entirely sure what had happened after she left the stream. She'd stumbled a ways into the woods, although staying near the creek for water, and then everything went black. She knew she'd run a long ways, gathering rocks along the way to leave a trail for Mushu. She vaguely remembered telling Cri-kee to go lead Mushu back to them. Now, all she knew was that Shan Yu, her worst enemy and most hated person, was looking down at her with a sickening look of victory that she had never wanted to see on his face.<p>

What was worse was the blade underneath her chin, close enough that he could kill her easily before she tried to escape.

She had no words for him. There was nothing to say on either end—she'd expected some kind of gloating, mocking, _something_, but he merely stared down at her. The smirk had faded away, leaving his lips into the slight glower that seemed to be his permanent expression unless he purposely chose otherwise.

Mulan didn't like the way he was observing her, so silently and thoughtfully. It sent a worse fear through her—she preferred him when he was expressive, showing some kind of thought process. She appreciated anything that would help her predict what was going to happen next and give her time to counteract it. At that moment he was unreadable and the young woman didn't like how vulnerable to his whims it made her. If she could not anticipate his next move then she couldn't defend herself.

Slowly, she subtly moved her hand towards her leg, where the dagger Mushu had stolen was. His wolf-like eyes caught the movement and his sword's sharp blade dug into her neck, drawing a slow but steady stream of blood. Mulan winced but proceeded to move her hand.

"Don't be foolish," he said, his voice neutral. Still no sign of what he was thinking. However, Mulan had reached her destination and pulled out the silk that had wrapped the dagger to prevent it from cutting her while she ran.

"Not trying to be," she retorted, copying his tone, as she used the silk like a handkerchief to dab at imaginary sweat on her brow.

He frowned deeply at how casual she was about it all. Mulan liked to know that he was displeased at her nonchalance, but she knew this was the end of the road. Dropping the silk to the ground, she placed her right hand back down to the ground, this time closer to her pocket. In a swift movement, the dagger was accessible without the silk to soften a blow.

"Are you going to kill me or not?" she finally demanded, growing impatient with his continued silence.

Shan Yu did not deem this worthy of an answer. "Stand."

She did so, appreciating the command. Now that she was one her feet, the playing field was _slightly_ fairer, even though he kept her against the tree with his sword still ready to kill her at the slightest wrong move.

Mulan was surprised and strangely pleased that the thought of death was not paralyzing her with fear. In fact, she decided she preferred to die than to become one of his concubines—even if it meant China would not be saved.

It wasn't like there was nobody else who could save it, right?

This complacency brought a sense of peace. Why did _she_ have to be the one to bear the burden of Shan Yu? Why did it all fall on _her_? Surely there were others who could make a difference. She was just a girl, barely a woman, and clearly the fates were out of their minds thinking that she alone could do anything to truly help in a man-favoring society.

Shan Yu interrupted her thoughts. "Walk." He gestured with the sword the direction he wanted her to go in.

Obediently, she followed his command. Something flared inside of her—disgust—at her quiet compliance with his demands, but it didn't matter. She would die soon anyway.

Rauul said their meeting would be extremely unpleasant. Mulan now understood what that meant—of course she would not be allowed to live after causing such trouble. He hadn't told her she would die in particular, but obviously Shan Yu wouldn't have time to deal with an unruly concubine while trying to rule China and the Steppes from which he came.

She would die and truth be told, she had no worries in the world because of it.

He walked her in front of him, the tip of his sword cutting slightly into the back of her neck. Running wasn't an option; he was bigger, stronger, and faster than her. At the same time, she wondered if it would speed the process of her death up, so perhaps it was worth it. Now, she almost anticipated it—she was waiting for the time to come.

And then she saw the horse tethered to a tree—the horse he'd come on. It was then she realized that he did _not_ intend to kill her; he would take her with him back to the palace, would keep to his resolve to punish her by forcing her to live instead of letting her off the easy way.

Death was not an option anymore. However, she wouldn't be forced to live a life with Shan Yu in it, either.

She took off at top speed, gripping the dagger in her pocket and readying to cut the reins tying the horse to the tree. As she hurtled towards the horse, she was suddenly ashamed of ever thinking about giving up.

Alba hadn't told her that she was the only one who could save China, no. But she was the closest person who had come to defeating Shan Yu and chances were, she couldn't trust anyone else to outsmart him.

Shan Yu had told her not to be foolish. Unfortunately, she had been foolish in her own right—by thinking she could possibly give up on defeating him.

This wasn't about her. This was about China, her home, her _family_.

And Mushu. How disappointed would he be in her that she had given up, even for a second? No, she would never give up again.

She cut the horse free, but the moment it was free there was a high-pitched whistle and it reared, forcing her to evade the flying hooves that could kill her in a single hit. In her desperation to live, she fell away from the rearing horse and landed hard on the ground. Shan Yu then arrived and the horse calmed.

The blade was at her neck before she could move again, even though the dagger was in her hand still, gripped tightly.

"I told you not to be foolish. Ruyun is a _Hun_ horse and he is mine; he will never obey another master. Especially not a fool like you."

Mulan glared up at him and he smirked, seemingly pleased.

"I am done underestimating you, girl. You will not receive another opportunity to cause me any trouble."

"So then what now?" she spat. "I won't give up. I _will_ defeat you—even if I have to kill you in your sleep."

Shan Yu chuckled. "If you find a way to kill a Hun while he rests, do inform me of it. I have had many men try and none have lived to tell the tale."

"I don't care if I die as long as you go out with me," she responded hotly. This only seemed to amuse him and he removed the sword from her neck.

"If your goal is to kill me, your best chance is if you come to the palace as my wife." He smirked when she visibly recoiled in horror at the thought. "What better way to kill a man than after he is satisfied?"

Mulan couldn't help it. She felt her stomach roll uproariously at the thought laying with this despicable beast of a man and bile rose in her throat. She choked on it and coughed, fighting the urge to vomit. Shan Yu found this even more amusing, chuckling darkly at her reaction.

He crouched down to her level, although he still seemed to tower over her despite it.

"I assure you, you will have no choice. None of my wives will on our wedding night."

Rapist. He would rape her if she would not cooperate.

She couldn't help herself. "I will kill you before you can defile any other those poor girls."

Shan Yu chuckled again. "You should be more worried about yourself."

And then all pretenses of conversation vanished when his hand gripped her hair and yanked her head back, forcing her spine to arch to ease the pain. Mulan was able to refrain from crying out even though her eyes watered with tears at the harshness.

Shan Yu watched her pensively. "Your bindings hide your features, but it is clear to me that you are certainly a woman." His voice was soft, but dark with intent.

Before Mulan could react to the threat, her changshan was ripped open, the button that had kept it closed over her chest popping out of its hole and disappearing into the dirt.

"No!" she screamed, but he yanked her towards him and tore the bindings away from her. She brought her hands up immediately to cover herself and began to thrash despite the grip on her hair.

At that moment, she didn't care if all her hair was ripped out. She wouldn't—_couldn't_—let this happen.

She kicked out at him, landing a solid blow to his shin. It clearly hurt her foot more than it did his leg, but she didn't stop, kicking him again and again and screaming like a banshee.

Shan Yu suddenly released her hair and she gasped in relief, just before cuffing her hard on the head. She underestimated his strength and the blow dazed her, leaving her to see black spots cloud her vision as she lay helplessly on the forest floor. She struggled to bring herself back to focus and escape, but he had hit her hard and her vision was blurring.

_No, no!_

He gripped her ankle as he stood, ruining any chances of escaping. As her eyesight cleared and she became coherent once more, she tried to yank her ankle from his grasp. However, the angle kept her helpless on her back, her lower half suspended in the air as he went through his saddlebags.

"NO! NO! Let me go you bastard!" she screamed at him, throwing herself to and fro in an attempt to wiggle free from him. She felt his grip tighten and her foot felt cold from lack of circulation.

Shan Yu quickly found what he was looking for and dropped down. Mulan's eyes widened in horror when she realized what he had been looking for.

Rope.

She screamed again and used her hands to propel away from him—she couldn't care less about modesty at that moment—but using her ankle, he pulled her beneath them. With a whistle and a gesture with the hand that held his rope, the horse trotted away to the nearest patch of grass and began to eat, completely oblivious to the commotion.

"You pig! You worthless scum! I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!" Her screams continued but her voice was getting hoarse, her throat catching painfully from the volume of her words.

With her hips pinned between his knees, he released her ankle and untwined some of the rope. Mulan beat at him with her fists, but he gathered them together—her strength was nothing against his and both wrists were completely encompassed by his single hand—before wrapping them in rope and then cinching a knot so tight it left her hands going numb.

She would have used them to beat against him still, determined to never give up, but he kept one hand on her bound wrists to keep her from continuing her assault. Then he wound the rope around her mouth and the back of her neck, gagging her with the foul-tasting twine.

The gag was tight and triggered her gag reflex. She choked around the rope, flailing her head back and forth and working her teeth on the thick twine to free it.

However, with those two tasks done, he was ready to proceed.

The pants were only partially removed, pulled down to her knees to provide just enough access. Mulan felt tears fill her eyes and her ragged screams intensified, although the gag went a long way in quieting her.

Shan Yu was silent as he freed himself from his pants, also lowering them just enough to expose his member.

Mulan went pale and felt as though she was about to be sick as she saw his massive size. He wouldn't enter her, he would _rip_ her open. Her eyes were so wide the whites her of her eyes showed all around.

He forced her legs apart and she bucked her hips in a final attempt to free herself, but in the next moment all the hatred she had ever felt for him was confirmed, intensified, and made her dizzy with its enormity.

Shan Yu impaled her in a swift movement. She saw white, her pain blinding her, but the shock set in quickly and she didn't even whimper. The next thing she knew, there was nothing.

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><p>Mushu was outraged. Shan Yu had followed the ruse perfectly and he had been able to slip away without being noticed. He'd quickly made his way back to where Mulan had rolled off the horse and followed her tracks, the small rocks she'd left as a trail helping immensely until he reached a stream, where they ended.<p>

Cri-kee found him soon after and led him to where Mulan had told him she would be. However, when they got there, Mulan was nowhere in sight.

And then, _then_, the source of his outrage: he and Cri-kee had seen a light and curling smoke in the distance, the telltale sign of a fire, and Mushu wanted to yell out his anger. Shan Yu was still out there and she lit a _fire?_ He'd always trusted his ward's judgment, but she had seriously made a mistake doing something like that. It wasn't even that cold—a fire definitely wasn't necessary!

He and Cri-kee quickly made their way towards the fire. Just as it came into sight and he was about to yell at her for being stupid, he stopped in his tracks and his jaw fell.

Big-and-Scary was sitting at the fire, Mulan unconscious and bound not far away. His steed was close by as well, laying on the grass and resting comfortably.

Shan Yu must have knocked her out, the bastard. Mushu motioned for Cri-kee to go investigate, as Shan Yu was watching the fire intently. With Mulan to his side and out of his direct line of vision, it was a fairly safe procedure.

As Cri-kee approached her, Mushu glanced at his feet and saw a black button—much like the one that had buttoned Mulan's changshan closed. He wondered why it was there for only a split second before he quickly glanced up at her.

Her clothing was disheveled upon closer inspection, as though it had been hastily put back on. The changshan was parted where the button had been taken off.

A deep horror filled the dragon's gut as he moved as close as safety would allow. When the sight became clear, he would have vomited if it had been possible for dragons to do so.

Her pants were slightly torn and he could see a damp, dark red spot on her inner thighs and near her privates. Her hands were bound and she was gagged, but her legs were left slightly parted. Clearly, they hadn't needed to be bound.

A rage filled Mushu unlike one he'd ever felt before. The fire in his stomach rumbled and he was filled with a killing intent that he'd never experienced, not even in his long lifetime.

Cri-kee returned but said nothing. Mushu now wished he hadn't sent his innocent friend to inspect Mulan. Despite the rage he felt, there was a deep, aching sorrow in his heart.

The pair exchanged a look and that was all that needed to be done. Cri-kee broke out crying, singing a heartbreaking song in long, loud chirps. Mushu couldn't look at Mulan's broken form any longer and closed his eyes.

Hot tears, tears hotter than fire, ran silently down his face and then evaporated into steam as they dripped off his chin.

Mushu choked on a sob. "I failed you, babygirl. I don't know if you can ever forgive me."

He stood vigil over his best friend and charge the whole night, not allowing himself a moment of rest for his grave failure.

It barely even scratched the surface of how badly he needed to punish himself.

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><p><em>So...yeah. Depressing. FYI, if you're looking for romance, this is the wrong fic for you - at least if it's going to be between Shan YuMulan._


	8. Chapter Eight

_Hi everyone!_

_All I can say is sorry for the late update. This is a longer chapter than usual, although probably not by much. Anyways, enjoy!_

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><p>To Shan Yu's infinite surprise, the young woman who lay still unconscious to his side had been very satisfying—perhaps one of the most satisfying he'd ever had.<p>

In a way, he supposed it was helpful that she had passed out almost immediately. The struggles had stopped and it had been much easier to find release when there wasn't a screaming, crying girl beneath him.

He hadn't touched her beyond what he had to, but he knew that in the future he would. Though her breasts were small, they were pleasing and he planned to take advantage of that. It was almost a shame she would have to die in the end—with her body, she would only grow more pleasing over time.

However, for once he was truly unsure as to how the next part would unfold. Would she be broken, as he intended, or would she fight with renewed vigor? To his own distaste, he hoped she would continue to fight. There would be no more amusement to be had if she broke so easily, if one simple act could destroy her spirit.

He had a stern belief that she wouldn't be defeated by this. He was certain that she was like his first mare; her fighting flame would only die when she did.

For some reason, he no longer wished to see that flame extinguished like he had before.

Fa Mulan was the only living being that could possibly pose a challenge for him. He had felled lesser men, he had felled _greater _men. Something about her was invincible, undying. As much as he preferred to go unchallenged by his men, there was also something very gratifying about defeating an enemy.

The girl could give him that satisfaction every day as long as she fought him, as long as she didn't give up. He would always win, always be the victor; but he would never be bored again.

Suddenly, it wasn't her destruction he sought anymore.

It was the challenge and the sense of victory she could supply to him endlessly.

He had been unable to fall asleep the night before, even though rest called to him. Not long after he'd started the fire a cricket had begun to chirp loudly, very close to the impromptu camp. It had vaguely surprised him as it had seemed to be a sad song it sang—as though something had been lost. Not long after that cricket begun—he would have gladly found it and squished it had it been alone—more crickets had added to the tune, a singing a song that seemed more fitting for a burial than a mating cry.

Only around dawn did the song stop, when crickets normally went silent, but the result was that he had not slept at all that night. Something about the song haunted him, though he could not figure out what it was. Lesser men would have been brought to tears at the heart-wrenching tune had they taken the time to notice it, but Shan Yu was not a lesser man. It had been said before that he did not have a heart, even among his own men; Shuurkei and Malgai had wives, and though Shuurkei was loyal enough to him to not say anything against him, Shan Yu had heard of Malgai's comments about his khan's heartlessness. When confronted Malgai did not deny it, standing proud in front of his khan and telling him exactly what he thought about the state of his nonexistent-compassion.

It was his honesty that had led to Shan Yu sparing his life.

Shan Yu had a strong conviction that it was compassion that led great men to their fall; he would not make that mistake. Sparing one enemy life could mean his downfall, to his end.

It did not pass his notice that he had chosen to allow the one person who could defeat him, an enemy in every way, to live for his own amusement.

However, now the sun had risen and the crickets had at last quieted, so it was time to finally return to the palace. The only thing standing in the way of moving out was his wife-to-be's continuing unconsciousness. At the same time, something inside him did not wish to wake her…he wasn't sure what it was borne of, but if she chose to stay asleep, he would not ruin that.

It was an action he chose not to analyze.

Gripping her small, petite form and lifting her, he called Ruyun to his side. The horse stood from its resting place and trotted over to him. He swung her so that she rested on his large shoulder as he mounted and then, so as to not unbalance his steed, placed her in front of him and let her lean back against his chest.

Her bound hands lay limply in her lap and he noticed they were a somewhat alarming white. Sighing to himself world-wearily, he loosened the bonds just enough so that they returned to their usual pallor. Then, tapping Ruyun's flank, he set out towards the palace in a brisk trot. He was surprised when even the jolting motion did not awaken the girl.

Suddenly, the horse stopped without his command and Shan Yu paused. Ruyun was the most reliable horse he'd ever owned; such action was against his nature. However, the horse blustered and they turned to the side, as though looking for something.

In that moment, a flash of red appeared in Shan Yu's peripheral vision. He glanced around quickly, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

With the right command, Ruyun reluctantly began to move again and Shan Yu urged him to move faster. Even at a gallop, the girl did not awaken, and he was forced to use one hand to hold her to him while guiding his horse with the other.

Now he was beginning to be concerned. Why wasn't the girl waking up? He had never heard of anyone sleeping so deeply that riding a galloping horse would not awaken them.

Suddenly her chin snapped up and the back of her head cracked against his collarbone. He brought Ruyun to an immediate halt, since his wife-to-be was clearly awake and trying to harm him by lashing out at him with her head. It was the only part of her that could do any damage, after all.

But when he released his hold on her, she slumped forward limply, almost falling off the horse. He gripped her to him again, pulling her up so as to stop her fall. He twisted her chin to the side, inspecting her face. She had infiltrated the Imperial army as a man; she was clearly a good actress.

However, upon further inspection, there was no way she could be awake. In his frustration, he hit her face, hard enough to awake anyone.

She did not show any response, only falling limply back against him.

It was not panic; he did not panic. He checked her pulse and breathing and she was very much alive.

But she would not wake up. _Why?_

It was still a ways to the palace, but the girl clearly needed the attention of a doctor. He had no idea as to why this would be; he'd not done anything out of the ordinary to her when taking her the night before. She was not dead, that much was clear—he knew a dead body when he saw one. No, she was alive, but she would not wake up.

Growling, he spurred Ruyun back into action, towards the nearest village he knew of. He was loathe to stay away from his rule longer than he had to, but he had just decided that Fa Mulan was not allowed to die.

He would not lose his only entertainment, his challenge, his _prey_, to a death he had not caused.

This time, he did not notice that the crickets had started up again; a raucous, angry tune.

* * *

><p><em>She saw colors.<em>

_At first, she had not known why she saw them; everything was fuzzy, hazy, and all she knew was black._

_It was calm, peaceful, in the world of darkness. She couldn't feel temperature, but she knew that if she could, it would be cold and dank. Nothing moved, nothing changed, and there was nothing but bliss in this emotionless world._

_She didn't know when it came to her, but the first color was red. It was the color of blood; she'd seen so much of it in the war._

_War…what war?_

_All she knew was that there had been a war and that the color she saw, this crimson, deep red that flowed around her like liquid was the best representation of this war. She knew it stood for pain and death, but shouldn't the blackness that the red had replaced have been death?_

_All she knew was that she saw red and not black anymore, and that the red was pain. She ran from it, but the red followed her. She had no body she found, but she could still try to get away from the red liquid._

_Not red liquid—blood._

_But the blood would not leave her; it coated her, filled her, covered her in its essence. It was frightening and she wanted to scream._

_No longer was there calm and peace in this realm; there was pain._

* * *

><p>Mushu was crammed into a saddlebag on Big-and-Scary's giant horse that was filled with rations. He gladly ate some of it as he doubted there be more coming in his time until the palace. Mulan would feed him if she could, he knew, but something was wrong with her.<p>

He had nearly attacked Shan Yu went the beast of a man moved towards her, but he knew that there was nothing he could do without Mulan's help. If there was a way he could kill Big-and-Scary for her, he would, but even he admitted that he was rather small compared to the Hun and probably wouldn't stand much of a chance in defeating him.

Besides, Mulan was the one known for her incredible plans, not him. He'd just helped her get into the army.

And now…now he really wished he hadn't been so selfish. Mulan did not deserve any of the pain that she had been put through because of his own self-seeking actions.

It was fair to say that the dragon absolutely loathed himself at the moment, and perhaps he always would after his terrible failure.

The horse abruptly stopped at one moment and Mushu was sent flying to the other side of the pouch. He heard a reverberating slap and it took all his self-restraint—what little he had—to stop himself from flying out of the pouch to defend his charge.

But there was no cry of pain, not even a muffled whimper. In fact, it was completely silent except for the horse's hoof stomping on the ground impatiently.

Mushu almost jumped out of his scales when a low growl, much like a wolf's, came from above him. Was _that_ Big-and-Scary? Suddenly, the horse took off in a different direction and Mushu was sent flying to the other side of the pouch…again.

He'd never thought he'd miss Mulan's cow, but it was clear that he was much easier to travel with than Big-and-Scary.

* * *

><p>After two hours of hard travel, Shan Yu stopped almost immediately when a sound finally came from his wife-to-be's lips. It was an agonized sound, like it was meant to be a scream, although in reality it was nothing more than a strangled whimper.<p>

He turned her face back towards his and was pleased to see that her facial features were twisted in pain. She was waking up _at last_, meaning that his trip to the village could be ignored. He waited for a long moment for her come back to consciousness.

When she took too long for his liking, he backhanded her, frustration fueling him. Now that he could avoid staying from his palace longer, he was impatient to resume travel.

However, when he struck her, she stiffened for a moment and then fell back limply into his lap.

After another long moment of waiting, he decided that something was definitely wrong and the village was still his priority.

Shan Yu set his pace back towards the village.

* * *

><p><em>The blood was still there, but it was slowly fading and there was no more pain.<em>

_It was replaced with orange. There was rage there, like fire, but it was not intense and painful like it was with the red, the blood. It was like a warm flame licking over her, burning her painlessly, consuming her._

_She embraced the fire. It was peaceful somehow, to allow this unstoppable force to take over her being. She felt anger but she felt calm, as though an acceptance of this burden of hatred. She didn't know to whom the anger was aimed at, but she knew it was there. The fire accepted her and brought her peace._

_Then the orange grew lighter and lighter and she only felt happiness, like sunlight caressing her on a day with clear skies and laughing, babbling creeks._

* * *

><p>They had arrived at the village.<p>

It was small, but it bustled with people just like any town on a warm and sunny day. At his arrival, however, baskets were dropped and the people stilled as though enveloped with fright. Two young men drew swords—flimsy little things—and pointed them at him.

Clearly they had not heard the news about the Hun takeover of China. Pity, since the two who drew on him would die as an example of what he would do them, _could_ do to every one of them, should they not obey him.

"Hun scum, we will kill you!" cried the older one.

"Turn back now!" called the younger one, as though finishing the other's sentence.

Ah, so they were brothers. Fools, the both of them. They would be lucky if he did not decided to eliminate their entire family.

Silently, he drew his jagged blade and dismounted the horse, vaguely remembering to let his wife-to-be slump onto Ruyun's neck. No, she hadn't awakened, and there had been no signs of further progress in that area, either.

"You will bow to your new emperor," Shan Yu replied to them, smirking toothily. He pointed his sword towards them, his stance casual. "Or you will die."

"China will never have a Hun emperor!" cried the younger one, charging at him. Shan Yu absently noted that the villagers were watching with horrified fascination.

Shan Yu sidestepped the inexperienced boy-warrior and cut him down with a single thrust of his sword.

The older saw his brother's death and only hesitated for a moment. "No! Shuu!" He charged at Shan Yu as well, although his movements spoke of slightly more experience with a blade. "I will kill you for my brother!"

Shan Yu didn't deem this worthy of an answer and allowed the boy, no older than Mulan, to attack him.

He decapitated the boy simply, the head rolling away from the body.

There was a scream. "My boys!" It was their mother.

"Fools," Shan Yu told them, pointing his sword at the other villagers threateningly. "Any who wish to die may challenge me. I am here for your doctor and nothing else. All those who oppose me will serve as further examples."

There was a murmuring in the crowd. Clearly they did not feel as threatened as they should have by him, as several more men raced forward in synchronized movement to take him down.

Every one of them was killed effortlessly.

* * *

><p><em>The yellow was like sunlight, she realized. She had always loved sunny, peaceful days when she could ride her horse through the forests surrounding her home.<em>

_Khan…her horse's name was Khan._

_But why did that name send a jolt of hatred through her? Did she not like her horse?_

_No, no, that wasn't it. Perhaps the horse had been named after someone she didn't like, but she knew she loved her horse._

_Khan…_

* * *

><p>The village doctor had been summoned by a wise old woman after the sixth man had come to his death. Women were weeping and shielding their children's eyes from their bloodied, fallen fathers' bodies, while the other villagers had simply stared on in shock.<p>

Finally, the doctor pushed through the crowd. He was a wizened old man, short with a humped back and leaning heavily on a polished wooden cane. The man was unperturbed by the fallen bodies and simply looked in Shan Yu's direction.

"What would you have me do, your Majesty?"

Shan Yu was glad that even if the doctor did not believe that he was the emperor, he was smart enough to play the part.

"My wife has fallen ill," he replied, leaving out that the matrimony was pending. It would only make things easier in the long run. "I would have her seen to."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the doctor replied. "We will bring her to my home and I will examine her." The doctor motioned to one of the younger boys, one who had not attempted to kill him, to go fetch his wife, who was slumped on the horse.

Shan Yu gave one look at the boy and he halted in his tracks. The khan pulled Mulan from her place on his horse, removing the ropes binding her hands before anyone could comprehend that she wasn't a willing participant. The doctor would obviously notice the bruises and broken skin where she had struggled the rope, but Shan Yu trusted that he would be wise enough to keep his findings to himself.

The doctor led Shan Yu to his home, Ruyun following his master obediently. The crowd parted for them as they passed and Shan Yu was glad that they had all realized their place.

It didn't matter that after he returned to the palace, he would send some of his men to burn the village and all its inhabitants to the ground.

He clearly needed an example to show that he was not to be trifled with.

* * *

><p><em>The yellow had faded and now she saw all shades of green.<em>

_They covered and caressed her like leaves falling from trees. She felt reborn, like a budding flower, just about to bloom._

_She was reminded of her parents. She could see their outlines but not their faces, although she knew they were holding each other and smiling at her happily. She could feel their love and acceptance, even though she was not like the other girls and that their only child was a daughter—not a son who would carry on the family's name._

_But they loved her despite that and her father cherished her above all. He loved her as much as he would have if she were a son._

_She could feel herself moving through stages of her life. She remembered not wanting to play with the dolls her mother had bought her and she could remember the other girls making fun of her and eventually avoiding her because she would not play dress-up. She was not like the others and she knew that from a very early age._

_She remembered when her father bought her Khan. Khan had only been a colt at the time, a spindly young thing that was disliked because he was black and could not be used in the army—for some arbitrary reason, black was not a suitable color for Imperial stallions. Mulan loved him all the more for it; he was disliked and unwanted because his coloring was different and she was disliked and unwanted because she was a woman who did not belong with the masses._

_Khan was an exceptional steed, however, and despite her mother's protests that it was unseemly for a girl to learn to ride a horse professionally, her father taught her anyways. The moment she had sat upon Khan's back, she had known that he was perfect and they just fit, like two pieces of a puzzle. They were inseparable ever since._

_She remembered the matchmaker. The woman had hated her because she was different and Mulan knew that even if she had played the part of a perfect woman in their meeting, the woman still would not have done anything in her best interests. Rumors of Mulan's unwillingness to be the perfect woman had reached far and wide in the small town and it was unlikely any man from her village would want to marry her. That meant more work for the matchmaker and it was clear the woman would not go to any extra lengths for the village outcast._

_She remembered that her status as a pariah had only worsened after she'd returned from the war._

* * *

><p>The doctor's hut was clean and simple. In the front room there was a cot where Shan Yu placed Mulan and the doctor motioned towards a chair for him to sit in, but the Hun refused. The chair would probably break under his weight anyways and he preferred to be on the alert. At his full height the hut seemed smaller than it probably was, but that was of no importance. He wanted the girl to be fixed as soon as possible—he'd been away from the palace for too long now.<p>

* * *

><p><em>The color that found her was the hue of robin's eggs.<em>

_If she had thought the black was peaceful, this blue told her otherwise. It soothed her like calming water, like she was floating on a slow, steady river and being carried away into the ocean._

_She'd heard of the ocean but had never been. She knew it was a vast expanse of water that went on without end; that you could get lost in it forever. If getting lost in the ocean meant staying in this beautiful feeling forever, she would gladly allow it._

_It was as she was floating, staring into the blue, that she saw the red again. It did not touch her, did not bring her pain, and the blue surrounded her, protected her, kept her from fear. But when the red stayed there, looking at her unwaveringly, she understood._

_She had been hurt. The red was not others' blood; it was her own. But the blue would protect her. As the red stayed she understood that she would be hurt again and as it swirled around her, close but not moving closer as though trapped behind a glass wall, she knew that her pain would not go away just because she wished it._

_The blue deepened, became like a sapphire, hard and glassy but still soothing._

_She knew now that she would live with this red, this blood, this pain. But she also knew that she did not have to succumb to it. She could fight it, fight back; she was strong. She had survived this pain and she would survive all the pain that was to come._

_She would not allow the red to break her._

* * *

><p>Po Aio had been a doctor many years, many years more than this Hun who stood in his home had been alive. He had seen sickness and death swirl around him before, never touching him but not leaving him unscathed.<p>

He knew that even if this young woman was the Hun's wife, it was not a willing union.

In fact, he found that their union was most recent, as well. He did not need to inspect her much to know that she had been raped—the blood on the insides of her thighs spoke of it and the rope burns on her wrists and ever-so-faintly on her cheeks spoke of great brutality. Disgust filled him at the sight of this poor girl's fortune, but he valued his life and would not risk it to confront a man who had felled six others in the span of five minutes.

Aio knew that he was no warrior and that there were many in the village who would still need his help after the Hun left.

As for what ailed her, Aio had not seen it often but he had seen it before. It was usually when something so bad had happened that the person could not handle the pain they had gone through. In his eyes, it was clear what had brought this on. The girl was not sick—rather, she was healing.

* * *

><p><em>The blue and the red mixed and swirled together, and then there was purple.<em>

_It was not a color she'd seen often in her life, but it was beautiful and she could recognize it. It sent her wave after wave of strength, of willingness to fight through the red and find the blue once more. She knew herself now, she knew better than before what must be done._

_She did not know who it was that she sought to defeat, or who it was that had given her this red, but she knew that she had the strength to do so. She was powerful in her own right and that was what set her apart._

_She was special, she was powerful, she was strong; she would defeat the red and bring the blue to encompass the world._

_And then everything faded, and she saw white; the most pure color of them all._

_She felt peace._

* * *

><p>Shan Yu had waited long enough for the doctor to figure out what was going on. It had been an hour, maybe two, and he would not be patient any longer.<p>

"What is wrong with her?" he demanded.

The doctor looked up at him with wizened eyes. Wrinkles framed every part of his face, telling of old age, but with that age came a knowledge that Shan Yu hated to think he might never possess.

"The girl is merely sleeping," the doctor said. "She is healing." Shan Yu could tell the man had noticed what had happened the night previous and wanted to say something about it, but was intelligent enough to not do so.

"If she was merely sleeping, why won't she wake up?" He was seconds away from snapping the old man's neck. This had taken too long, and if Mulan was merely sleeping, his time had been wasted.

"You must let her rest," the doctor replied, sighing and looking down at the girl. "She is tired and she is healing."

"_Why won't she wake up?"_ Shan Yu pulled the doctor into the air by the lapels of his clothing. The old man was avoiding the question and that was irritating, especially when it was the only question he cared to have answered.

The doctor did not show fear, even though his life was about to end.

"She will not wake up because she does not want to."

* * *

><p><em>That's all. Kind of a boring chapter, but VERY important.<em>

_Please review!_

_Cheers!_

_Of Healing Love_


	9. Chapter Nine

_Hey everyone!_

_I'm so sorry for the late update (again) and the fact that it's a little shorter than usual, but I was very close to losing my muse for this story. However, seeing the movie all over again re-inspired me and I'm hoping to start writing this story more zealously from now on until it's finished._

_To everyone who follows me or reads my other stories as well: Yes, this is pretty much "Update Everything I Have Weekend." :)_

* * *

><p>Shan Yu killed the doctor and left the village with Mulan in tow promptly, making sure he memorized his path from there to the palace so that he could send men back to destroy the place.<p>

As he rode forward at a steady pace, he felt the uncomfortable, unwanted feeling of disappointment fill him.

She wanted to stay asleep. She did not want to waken.

Fa Mulan had been defeated.

It escaped him why he didn't just kill her right then and leave her corpse behind to rot, but something held him back. Perhaps it was that she would waken one day and _then _he would kill her—he would not allow her to go without feeling defeat at his hand.

He would wait however long it took to end Fa Mulan's life, just as long as she actually _felt_ the pain of death.

Pushing Ruyun to a speed that would be unhealthy for the steed if maintained for a long period of time, he resolved to make it back to the palace as quickly as possible. His men were waiting for him; they'd probably arrived with his other wives by now and were awaiting orders.

He would not keep them waiting for too long.

Sending Hayabusa to meet with Shuurkei to deliver the message that he would be returning within the next two days—he planned for sooner, but preferred to keep his men on guard at all time and this was the best test—was the best decision. He no longer needed his hawk to find his prey, but he would still put his pet to use. Laziness made one complacent, and complacency led to defeat.

China had become complacent with the building of their wall and they thought that no one could surpass them. He had proved them wrong.

They had _almost_ won. Perhaps if Ping had not been discovered to be Mulan, he would have stayed defeated. Only someone like her could have possibly brought his downfall—now, not even she was an issue.

She had given up and all respect, all possible admiration for her strength in the worst of times had been lost. The simple taking of her virginity had been enough to break her. She acted as a man, but it was truly just an act. Her womanhood was her weakness; perhaps if she had been born a man, she would have been honored as a war hero.

But no, it was not meant to be. His entertainment was gone.

He slowed Ruyun to a walk and then a halt, scouting for a decent place off the beaten trail for camp. His time in the lavish palace had proved to him that he preferred sleeping on hard ground to the fluffy, unsupportive beds that the royalty there had enjoyed in the past. He was not Chinese, he was Hun; simply the difference in lifestyles was enough evidence as to why the Middle Kingdom had been so easily conquered.

They had their peons fight for them. In the Steppes, every man and even some women were trained to fight and hunt at an early age—none were spared the harsh ways of the north. That alone made the Huns superior to the Chinese.

When he dismounted, he carelessly dropped Mulan—no longer his wife-to-be, certainly—to the ground and went about starting a fire. When he went to his rations, he saw a flash of movement that had him pulling out the dagger in his boot by way of response, but it was gone in a second. Warily approaching the bag, he opened it to find that there was _definitely_ less food in there than there had been in the morning when he'd left.

Strange. None had fallen out—his first order was to check the bottom for holes—but there was less anyways. The top was sealed tightly at all times, so it was impossible for some to have fallen out there…

Upon further inspection, he found that there were some pieces that had been undeniable chewed on by sharp teeth. The jerky was what was mainly missing, so clearly some kind of rat had made its way into the bag…perhaps when he'd left Ruyun alone in the doctor's home.

It didn't matter. Without a second mouth to feed, there was plenty to get him back to the Forbidden City.

After eating and settling near the fire, he leaned against the nearest tree and allowed himself to doze off.

* * *

><p>Mushu wiped his brow of sweat. That had been close—<em>too close<em>! If he'd not been watching at just the right time and seen Big-and-Scary coming right at him, there would have been no way to escape! Luckily, he'd been able to do so—but it was simply a miracle he'd been able to move fast enough not to be noticed properly.

He again stood vigil over Mulan with Cri-kee, who was rightly depressed and quiet other than the songs he'd started singing with his buddies after finding out about Mulan's tragedy. Mushu had snuck out of the saddlebag to follow Shan Yu and his charge into the doctor's house and had heard what the doctor had said. Cri-kee had been gone most of the day, but Mushu trusted that the cricket—who no longer believed he was lucky and rightfully so—would come back, and he had.

The crickets did not start their song again that night, but Mushu noticed a change in Cri-kee. The little bug was somewhat more cheerful, but when Mushu was about to ask him what was going on, he noticed Mulan turning her head.

He wanted to call out to her, but he didn't want to wake up Big-and-Scary. She could definitely get away if she woke up while the bastard was asleep.

So he waited patiently for her valiant escape.

* * *

><p><em>The white was peace and love, kindness and purity—everything good came from this color she saw. She wanted to bask in it forever, live in the white, and she would have if it wasn't for the voices speaking, seemingly right in front of her.<em>

'_Mulan, Mulan…you poor girl.'_

_She struggled to look past the white to see who it was. It was strange…she knew they were talking about her. Her name was Mulan then?_

'_It is as you said, my friend…it would be exceedingly unpleasant.'_

_The voice was familiar, she realized._

'_But she is strong,' continued a deeper, rumbling voice. 'She will survive and she will save China yet.'_

_She suddenly saw them. Alba's form was there, as well as Rauul's; they were colorless, all white except for the bluish light that surrounded them and defined their features._

'_A-Alba?' She knew this woman. How she knew her name, she wasn't sure, but she felt something awakening in her, pulling her from her painless, peaceful sleep._

'_Ah! So you can speak in the spiritual realm! I knew someone like you could,' Alba replied. She gave a knowing wink to Rauul, who had clearly doubted the possibility._

'_What are you doing here?' Her voice was strange to her own ears._

'_That is no matter,' Rauul replied. 'Our time has passed…but we were sent to help you.'_

_Alba immediately took on a no-nonsense look. 'You can't stay here forever, girl. You still have to save China. You asked me how you could repay me, and I'm not letting you off the hook.'_

_She ignored her. 'How are you in my mind?'_

'_Oh dear…' Alba's face saddened, a true look of pity on her face. 'Oh, my poor girl, we're not in your mind.' The older woman paused. 'I was hoping for you to go without this knowledge…clearly you are not as dull as I thought.'_

_Mulan felt as though she should protest Alba's insult, but it was so calm and quiet here she did not want to disrupt the peace._

_Alba looked at her sadly and continued, as Mulan knew she would. 'This is the spiritual realm. Only those who are dead can be here.'_

_It was as though a sharp pain had struck her, even though the red was nowhere to be seen. She felt like a part of her was coming alive again. 'How are you here?'_

'_You husband-to-be killed us,' Rauul replied without pause. Alba shot him an angry look, obviously having wanted to skirt that particular topic._

_Mulan felt anger fill her, but no orange appeared._

'_Why?' she demanded._

'_We helped you,' Alba replied at last. 'And we would not help him.' She turned to Rauul. 'And you, fool, did not have to die! You could have stayed!'_

_Rauul looked up at her with laughing eyes. 'I am your guardian. It would have been dishonorable not to protect you when death stared you in the face.'_

_Alba did not cry but it was as though the air surrounding them did. It tasted of tears. 'It is for the best, girl,' she finally told Mulan. 'Now we can guide you. We have been blessed by the gods and allowed to visit you in your dreams when you follow a specific ritual, which I will tell you of, and then we may guide you.' Alba snorted. 'I guess I'm considered your therapist now.'_

_Mulan gave her a confused look. 'My what?'_

'_Don't worry, girl, it's a term for the future. _Very _far into the future, I might add. But perhaps you will hear of it when you finally join me.'_

'_You mean die?' Mulan asked, and she tasted the tears in the air around her. She was crying, too._

'_It won't be for a long while,' Alba replied. 'But! This is a conversation for later. After I leave, you will see a staircase. Go down the staircase as quickly as you possibly can. Those are other realms and times and if you stay in one place too long, you may get stuck there and I won't be able to help you. Go all the way to the bottom and there will be a cliff. Jump and you will return to your body.'_

_Mulan nodded._

'_As for summoning me, you may only do it once every seven days, so choose wisely when you do it. I can't just come down whenever you feel like.' Alba smiled at her, for once very warmly. 'You must be in complete darkness, or as much as you possibly can be in. The more light there is, the weaker our connection will be. Then, you must meditate as deeply as you can, and once you are in the world just between sleep and awakening, you must call out my name in your mind.'_

_Mulan was surprised. 'That's all?'_

_Alba frowned at her, snapping, 'Well if you get it right on the first try, do tell me so I can applaud you!' She huffed. 'It is much more difficult to stay in a place where your body is asleep but your mind is awake than you might realize. Practice will help, and doing it at night is easiest, as your body already craves sleep.'_

'_I'll do it,' Mulan promised._

_Suddenly, she felt as though she was being pulled away._

'_I can only come to you for an hour at a time at most,' Alba warned. Mulan felt herself fighting being pulled away—no! The beautiful white light was fading!_

'_Go!' Rauul commanded. 'You are ready to awaken!'_

'_Wait! Come back!' Mulan called._

'_It is not your time, girl,' Alba scolded. 'GO!'_

'_Please, wait-'_

_But the white was receding and the stairs appeared. Without thinking, Mulan began to rush down the stairs._

_She saw time pass by, things she'd never seen before; there were strange metal beasts that excreted smoke, lights that were not flames, and weapons that made noises like explosions. There were people with dark skin, still other with wide eyes, animals that she could have never believed existed. She wanted to stop and look at them, but she followed Alba's instructions and did not stop running until she came to the end of the staircase._

_She paused. She was jumping off into nothingness, but-_

_She was being pulled at and she realized that some other realm was pulling her into it. With a shaky inhalation she jumped, and fell to the ground._

_She sighed with relief, and then-_

Opened her eyes.

The first thing Mulan knew was pain. She expected to see red but instead saw tree branches above her and a beautiful night sky.

The pain was everywhere, but it concentrated in the right side of her face and in between her thighs. Suddenly, she remembered everything.

Shan Yu—he had raped her, and she had blacked out. Apparently, the magnitude of the deed had sent her into the spiritual world somehow.

She wanted to succumb to rage and pain and start crying, but then she remembered the red and the blue and how it had turned to purple. The red was her pain, her anger, and her hatred, while the blue was peace and love and acceptance, and together, they created purple: the strength to carry on. She needed both blue and red to defeat Shan Yu, which meant she had to carry all of them together.

She took a deep breath of the forest air and smelled smoke. Without moving, she took in her surroundings. She was in an awkward angle on the ground and there was a campfire burning near her. Moving her head just slightly in all directions, she saw Shan Yu who appeared to be sleeping, the horse she knew better than to try and steal, and…

Mushu!

She could tell he was about to speak but she shakily lifted one hand to her lips, placing a single finger over them to ask for silence.

Shan Yu was sleeping. It seemed fitting that she would come from the spiritual world, having finished her healing, just in time to kill her worst enemy.

Slowly, she felt her pocket for the dagger. No, it was not there.

She glanced around for a weapon, eventually turning to Mushu. She mouthed, _'I need a blade.'_ He nodded and immediately scurried off to the horse, who was deeply sleeping.

After a few long moments, the dragon reappeared at her side with a small knife. It was short, but sharp; piercing just anywhere might not harm Shan Yu, but if she was able to slit his throat, it just might work.

Unfortunately, that meant getting very close to him.

However, she figured that the worst had already happened, so there was clearly nothing more she could lose except her life—but now that she knew of the whiteness promised to her in death, she no longer feared it.

She hated to think that Shan Yu would see the white when he died, but somehow she trusted that he would only see red—the blood of all the innocents he had killed. He would feel the pain he had inflicted upon so many others, for that was the only fate befitting him.

Even though she accepted his afterlife would be nothing short of agony—she'd felt the red for herself—she still felt that slitting his throat was a very tame way for him to meet his death. She would have liked for nothing more than to make him feel the pain while he was alive, to make him suffer like so many others had suffered.

Including herself, but she knew that the red was a part of her strength; she needed it to succeed, no matter how little she liked it.

With all the stealth she could muster, she silently sat up and then stood, carefully searching the ground for anything that could give away her movements. Plotting a path around the many twigs and pine cones, she delicately placed one foot in front of another, gripping the hilt of her weapon tightly. She approached him cautiously, pinning her eyes to Shan Yu's form, motionless except for his breathing. At the slightest twitch she would lunge, for she only had this one chance.

She remembered what he'd said to her only days ago, even though it felt like an eternity.

"_I'll kill you," she hissed, and the villagers gasped at her audacity._ They were fools, all of them.

He'd had the audacity to find her declaration amusing. _"I'm sure you'll try."_

But she wouldn't try—she would _succeed_.

She realized she had paused very close to him at her recollections, but it was a good thing because suddenly, his hand twitched. In a split second, she was upon him, striking at his throat like a viper. She didn't need to slit it—she could easily just stab right through the flesh.

A mere centimeter before her blade ran him through, his hand shot up and caught her wrist in a vicelike grip. She was startled but gave no indication of it, only trying to drive the blade further. Just a little more…

And then his yellow wolf-eyes snapped open and he was grinning toothily.

"I told you; it is impossible to kill a Hun while he sleeps."


	10. Chapter Ten

_Hello everyone!_

_A Girl and a Mountain is officially off hiatus. Can't promise chapters will be coming quickly or anything, but the new update is here. I've edited it to the best of my ability, and it hasn't been beta'd, AND I wrote it at 4:00 a.m. this morning, but it's passable and a good bridge between Mulan's escapades in the forest to their arrival in the Forbidden City. We'll be seeing more of our favorite characters soon, so stick around!_

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><p>It didn't surprise him when he was flooded with satisfaction that she had apparently not only awoken, but still had the spirit within her to attempt to kill him. She still had that fire, she was still untamed.<p>

He would not admit, however, that he was also somewhat relieved. It meant that the battle was not over and the war had not been prematurely ended. It meant that she was not as weak as he had thought—if he had a true nemesis at all, it was her, and he reveled in it.

She glared at him in response to his words, continuing to try and force the blade through his neck. Mulan was a cunning one, having deduced that the only weak spot he had on his body was his neck—and even that was only susceptible to a blade. Somehow, she had approached Ruyun without the steed knowing and had pilfered one of his daggers.

He admired that she did not give up even when there was no way she could kill him now that he was awake, but he would not give her a chance to somehow best him when his life was possibly at stake. Fa Mulan was the only one who had ever achieved a victory over him and even though he gave her much more credit for her wits now and no longer underestimated her, he would not overinflate his ego again and allow her to stay this close to his person with a blade aimed at his throat. Therefore, with an easy swing of his arm, he sent her flying away from him.

She landed hard on her back and it winded her, but even so she would not give up. She scrambled to her feet and flew at him again, but he drew his jagged sword and parried the comparatively tiny blade, sparks crackling with the force of the blow before she was thrown back yet again.

"Now is not the time," he told her. "Do not waste your energy."

She made a loud, guttural snarl from the back of her throat and charged once more. Bordering on exasperated, he flicked the dagger away with the tip of his sword, disarming her, and then snatched her other wrist up before dangling her uselessly in the air. She cried out angrily as he shook her like a ragdoll, only the tips of her toes touching the ground and supporting her.

"There will be other opportunities to try again." He wasn't quite sure why he was encouraging her efforts to try and kill him, but he did know that there was immense satisfaction in foiling her attempts. The wild look in her eyes as she glared at him was pleasing and in that moment, he realized that she was much more like a Hun woman than she would ever know.

Unless he told her, of course. "You would make a fine Hun wife," he commented casually as she dangled there, shaking her lightly for effect and earning a glob of saliva at his feet when she spit at him and missed.

Even though it was by all means a compliment coming from a khan, especially when aimed towards a Chinese woman, she apparently didn't see it that way. "I would _never_ stoop that low," she growled through grit teeth, obviously in pain from his grip on her wrist.

"It doesn't seem you have a choice," he replied cruelly. "Soon, when we return, you will be _my_ wife."

She stiffened furiously. "That will never make me a Hun!"

"I seem to recall that Chinese women take on the surnames of their husbands, essentially becoming one with their family," he mused, his tone mocking. "By all means, I believe that marrying me makes you a _Hun_."

"A Hun could only be so lucky as to have a Chinese wife," she shot back hotly.

"And I will have seven," he retorted, amused. He very much enjoyed this new form of battle; verbal sparring. "But I disagree. If it were not to secure the throne by having a half-blood son, I would much prefer one of my own women. It is a pity his blood will be diluted by weakness."

She deemed this unworthy of a response, or perhaps she was too angered by his comment. Either way, she lashed out at him, bouncing off the tips of her toes and aiming a kick at his abdomen.

He allowed it to land just so she would see how little it affected him. The blow all but bounced off and then he dropped her while she was still half-suspended in the air, making her land hard on her side. Despite the rough landing, she was immediately on her feet, even though he was already sitting down again.

"Fighting me will get you nowhere. You might as well cooperate for the time being; it's not like you have any other choice."

She was flushed from the exertion and there was a fine sheen of sweat on her body. It didn't go past his notice that her ripped changshan had parted precariously to reveal the creamy white tops of her breasts. When she noticed the path of his gaze, she violently pulled the fabric back into place and marched over to the other side of the campfire.

It did somewhat surprise him that there was no shame in her eyes at the evidence of what had happened, although that it was replaced with white-hot fury was less so. He was more than pleased that she did not let what had happened affect her terribly—instead, she seemed to draw strength from what she'd gone through.

Indeed, she was more like a Hun than she would ever admit.

He saw no point in tying her up again, given that she would undoubtedly either work herself free, or, even more likely, find a way to use it to her advantage. Against Fa Mulan, no advantages should be given lightly. Besides, he had gotten plenty of rest while she'd been unconscious and he was alert enough that he could watch her for the rest of the night.

She was glaring at the fire as though it had personally offended her and to his surprise, the fierce, angry look on her face stirred his blood. However, he reigned in his baser instincts and settled for simply watching her. She glanced up at him for but a split second, acknowledging him but at the same time not, before returning her gaze to the fire.

Shan Yu mused on how it was possible for China to have created such a creature. Despite the fact that she was a female, she fought as ferociously as a man and had wits that exceeded almost all of his enemies, male or female. Mulan was sharp and cunning but strangely seemed to have a sense of honor—however, given that she had attempted to kill him in his sleep, he felt confident that his proximity to her was getting rid of that obnoxious, useless trait.

If she was going to combat him—if she was truly going to attempt to take his life—then she would have to hone herself into the greatest warrior a woman of her stature could be.

The only way she could do that was if she embraced the Hun lifestyle. The Han would never agree to train a woman, much less put her as a priority over other men, even when she so clearly should be.

Amused at the thought of her being indoctrinated, turned into a true Hun, Shan Yu wondered idly if she would ever stand at his side willingly. It wasn't something he cared about either way, and he felt it was safe to assume he preferred her as an enemy…but the thought was interesting. Should someone as great and mighty as he have someone as intelligent and wily as Mulan at his side, what opportunities would _not_ be attainable? What army could truly stand in the way of a Hun army with a superior khan at the head, fueled by the daring cunning of his khatun?

It was there that he stopped his train of thought. Khatun…Mulan…

The two thoughts seemed to mesh seamlessly and it was then he realized that Mulan was the khatun he sought.

In hindsight, it wasn't as unexpected as some would think. Had he known she was a woman from the start, he would have immediately set out on his search for concubines with her as the reward, the treasure his map led to. Yes, she had eviscerated his army with her cunning and what some who didn't know her might consider sheer dumb luck, but any person, man or woman, who could fell over one thousand warriors with a single, well-placed cannon could be considered worthy of respect. The fact that she was woman apparently discounted her in the Han's eyes, but had she been a Hun warrior, she would have been treated to a feast in her honor and sung praises for her victory on the battlefield. He was even more certain now that the blatant disregard for her Mulan's brilliant mind because she was a female had driven home his victory—had she been present during the siege of the palace, it was entirely possible that she would have found a way to defeat him.

Shan Yu found him on a blade's edge. He was loathe to kill her now, and not just because she would make a satisfying wife in bed, nor because her intelligence marred with his own brute strength could become a deadly combination in their sons. It was something more, now. Inexplicably, there was something more.

It went beyond respect for her tenacity, went further than his admiration for her cunning mind, spiraled beyond his care for her usefulness in battle or fighting spirit. It had even less to do with her attractiveness as a woman, although as she was bathed in a new light in his eyes, he found her almost irresistible. It was something fickler than words could describe; it was mercurial, like a plume of smoke in the night that was clearly visible but impossible to grasp.

He put away the thoughts for another night, calmly watching her as she gave him one last wary glance and then curled up on her side to sleep, clearly deciding that tiring herself out by staying up the night would be unwise in her situation.

Mulan slept deeply, he noticed, not shifting restlessly on the hard ground or discomfited by the lack of bedding. If he was cut of a softer cloth, he would have taken the moment to truly revel in their compatibility. It was so clear now that he saw it and it made him wonder how he had failed to see it before. As long as Mulan did not go unconscious for days every time that something went drastically against her beliefs, they were the perfect match. As khan and khatun, they could easily rule all of the continent.

Except for the hate she felt for him, which he no longer felt for her. However, he didn't much care that she hated him, as she would not be who she was without that intense will to fight. Whether or not she agreed to it, she would be his khatun. He would relish knowing that she knew she was so close to him, would know so much of his plans, might even have a semblance of control in the situations she was thrust into, and yet she would never be farther from winning the war.

Quiet settled over the camp as Mulan drifted to sleep. The crickets, so loud the night before, were quiet and almost nonexistent—perhaps it was such a clear lack of them that had made him notice their absence. He was unperturbed, although it was possibly a bad omen that the wildlife seeming to be acting so strangely lately.

He mused on his situation throughout the night, knowing that this was the last evening he would spend in the wilderness before he returned to the Middle Kingdom's unfortunate excuse for royal housing. There, he would find his other wives prepared for wedding, but Mulan would of course be the first. He would be busy rebuilding the Middle Kingdom and Steppes, merging them into one and creating a whole new China. It was a challenge he had not been met with before and he was rather eager for it. One could not be a conqueror without conquering, but it did not end with the previous emperor's head rolling on the ground. There was much to do to ensure that he left behind his legacy.

At long last, the night sky faded from black to blue. It was promising to be a stiflingly hot day and while Mulan's body was pleasing in any other instance, he was not looking forward to sharing close proximity in the heat.

The fire had gone out just as the moon reached its peak. However, in the warm summer of the Middle Kingdom, they were hardly necessary for comfort. Mulan hadn't shivered even once throughout the night.

She was, however, a light sleeper, proven by the fact that the moment he clicked his tongue for Ruyun to stand, she was jerking awake with the dagger tightly fisted in her hand.

He glanced at her with a distinct look of boredom, but did not turn his back to her and instead let Ruyun come to him. He still had some rope and Mulan would obviously need to be restrained while they rode; she had the dagger and he wouldn't be surprised if there was something else on her person that could prove to be a plausible weapon. He couldn't prevent all the scenarios, and restraining her was his best option; he needed to be able to focus and the possibility of her attempting to gut him while he directed them back to the Forbidden City was not welcome.

When he approached her with the rope, Mulan snarled silently at him. He knew then that she would not allow herself to be restrained without a fight.

"I will allow you to keep the blade if you cooperate," he offered with a smirk. Would she accept a small defeat in lieu of having a weapon, or would she decide to fight anyway?

She hesitated for only a split second, the pause only warranted by a glance to a nearby bush. Was, perhaps, her sentient guardian present? He followed the direction of her eyes, curious.

In that moment, she darted away. It was futile, but it was her answer nonetheless. She was right not to trust him, and he supposed she wouldn't be who she was if she hadn't tried to escape at least once more. If she had willingly allowed him to restrain her, she still would have had the dagger taken from her, regardless of what he said, and it almost pleased him that she wasn't so foolish as to put any kind of trust in an enemy.

She barely got twenty feet away before Ruyun cut her off, Shan Yu cornering her quickly afterwards. It was a pitifully easy feat to tie her wrists together once more and then haul her onto the horse with him. Ruyun was a horse fit to hold someone of Shan Yu's stature, so the slight weight added on by Mulan wasn't going to affect the horse's pace. He probably weighed three times as much as she did.

And so, with the sun just barely creeping over the horizon, they set off for the Forbidden City.

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><p><em>And that's a wrap. It's also a shorter chapter than most of my others, but I hope you all can forgive me. I was listening to the Mulan soundtrack on my way to get some juice around midnight and suddenly got inspired. So, this is the product of that.<em>

_I hope you all will leave me some wonderful reviews! A big thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed; it means so much to me. :)_

_Cheers!_


	11. Chapter Eleven

_Hi...everyone..._

_So...as you can see, I suck at updating on time. As of right now, this story will be updated on a chapter-by-chapter basis and no update after this is promised any time soon._

_However, this story is not and really should not be discontinued. I finally figured out where I'm going from here, and as you can see, the story at least has a temporary direction. I really should start writing down story summaries, even though they usually pan out very differently in real life than in my head._

_It is possible that the other chapters will be updated to catch some spelling and grammar mistakes. I looked back and saw a bunch of errors and was just like "And I thought this was good?" Nothing major will be changed, and it's not going to be worth a re-read or anything, although please do so if you feel like it!_

_To be honest, what brought me back to this story was seeing how much everybody liked it. I got your PMs and reviews, and I couldn't bring myself to just give up on it. That's just to let everyone know that it really does make a difference if you review and/or PM. Favs and follows are great, but they're not what get the juices flowing. I appreciate all the attention this story has gotten and it truly has motivated me to keep going. As I said before, no promises on the next update, but hopefully it won't be too long from now._

_Thank you so much to everyone who has helped and encouraged me during this story's down times!_

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><p>They had stopped briefly at midday and Shan Yu had offered her food that she was loathe to accept. However, that kind of pettiness would get her nowhere. If there was anything she had learned from being a soldier, it was that one had to keep one's strength up. Shan Yu ate from the same bag that she did and she had watched him like a hawk in case he attempted to tamper with the food, but even in the midst of the anger and hatred she felt for him, she could tell that something had shifted since she had last tried to kill him. It might have been her imagination, but she didn't think he planned on killing her anymore.<p>

…Certainly her imagination, then.

However, while she had been tense riding in front of him throughout the day's journey, Shan Yu had not been antagonistic towards her—or, at least, was less so than usual. They obviously weren't indulging in pleasantries or idle chitchat, but his aura seemed…calm. It could very well be the calm before the storm and Mulan was willing to bet anything that that was closer to what was actually going on, but there weren't any verbal jabs or snide remarks. Of course, as little more than a prisoner, she had not attempted to provoke him. She had accepted for the moment that escape was not going to happen again, not when Shan Yu wouldn't even let her have a bathroom break without accompanying her into the woods. She rather thought that defeated the purpose to going into the woods in the first place—after all, the only reason she was leaving was for privacy—but she also knew that the reason they were in this mess at all was because of what had happened the last time she had gone to the bathroom was left to her own devices.

Despite the silence that was not as tense as it could have been—she believed less than ten words had been exchanged by both parties throughout the day—Mulan was no less horrified by the sight of the Forbidden City on the horizon.

Her stomach plummeted from her vantage point atop Ruyun at the crest of the hill. A surreal feeling overcame her as Ruyun slowed to a brisk walk, as close as they were, and they began their way down one of the four roads that would lead to the city's entrance.

The feeling was not a product of shock that they had suddenly arrived; two hours into their day's journey, she had started seeing the rice paddies and farms that surrounded the Forbidden City for miles. They had luckily avoided seeing any civilians out in their fields. Mulan didn't think she could bear to witness the people who she had failed so terribly.

Cri-kee was safely resting in the crevice of her shoe and Mushu was well-hidden in the confines of her shirt. It was morbidly amusing that Shan Yu's brutality was what had really allowed Mushu to go unnoticed in her shirt—without the missing button and slight ripping, there would be a clear bulge where he was hiding. However, the way things were, it just looked like her shirt was somewhat rumpled.

Mulan didn't want to think about what would happen if Shan Yu decided to look more closely…or want to engage in a certain kind of _activities_.

Coming back to the present, she realize the surreal feeling was because she had a sense of déjà vu, like she had been here before. But to her knowledge, she had never once set foot in the city, no matter how much she had begged her father to take her when he had to travel there in her youth.

As the doors creaked open, her vision blacked out briefly only to be replaced by startling images in her mind's eye.

_A Chinese dragon made of brightly colored paper following behind a procession of honored war heroes-_

_-she is atop Khan, doing her best to warn her comrades, "The Huns! They're in the city!-"_

_-"You don't belong here, Mulan. Go home-"_

_-"You trusted Ping. Why is Mulan any different?-"_

_-left outside the gates to the palace, searching for someone who would believe her, no one would listen-_

_-"Your Majesty, I present to you the sword of Shan Yu-"_

_-ripping, tearing, shrill screams from the civilians-_

_-"No!-"_

_-the emperor kidnapped, a prisoner in his own home, "Guys, I've got an idea-"_

_-"Does this dress make me look fat?" the ugliest damn concubines she's ever seen, but also the closest and most trustworthy friends she could have ever hoped for-_

_-saving the emperor, Chien Po safely delivering him to the ground level and out of Shan Yu's grasp, cutting the rope to prevent him from following-_

"_You! You took away my victory!-"_

_-Shang about to die, throwing a shoe-_

_-"No," pulling her hair up into the high bun, "I did-"_

_-"The soldier from the mountain…-"_

_-ducking and dodging the swipes of the jagged blade, run run run-_

_-bought some time locking the door, "You don't got a plan? How can you not have a-!" a fireworks pagoda clearly visible from the window, "Mushu-"_

_-a fight on top of the rooftop, unarmed except for a fan-_

_-"Looks like you're running out of ideas-"_

_-sword caught in fan and twirled away, "Not quite-"_

_-fear, so true and real, so beautiful and sweet on his face, jumping-_

_-the most beautiful fireworks show she had ever seen in her entire life-_

_-"…stole your father's armor, ran away from home-"_

_-never going to be able to bow deeply enough, her life is over-_

_-"Destroyed my palace, _and-!_"_

_-hoping her family can ever think to forgive her after this, if she ever even sees them again-_

_-"You have saved us all."_

A moment later, Mulan opened her eyes and realized she had just somehow seen what Alba had seen when she first knew of Mulan; Mulan had just seen what would have happened had she stayed just a little longer and seen the Huns leave for the Forbidden City. Suddenly, as though it had been a book she had memorized, she could see exactly where she had gone wrong.

She blinked back tears of regret, shame, and self-loathing. To let them fall would be weakness.

It was just like Alba said. She had been so close, so _very _close…not only to being honored as a war hero and saving China, but to saving her family from the hardship and pain because of her decisions. Her folly had brought China to its ruin—no, it had brought _everything_ to its ruin.

In a way that Mulan had never understood until then, she now realized just how intertwined Shan Yu's fate was with her own. If not for her absence, he would be nothing more than ashes from fireworks.

Then the doors were open and they were on their way to the palace. Mulan made a mental note to ask Alba if what she had seen was, in fact, what she had seen was what was supposed to have happened.

However, Mulan couldn't spare any further thought to her strange vision because she was now getting a good look at what had happened to the Forbidden City, the capital of her home, because of her failure. It looked like a good part of the city had been razed, although now it was clearly under reconstruction—albeit with much different architecture. It appeared that the section where they had entered was predominantly a residential district, and smelled of charred wood, blood, and sweat.

It smelled a lot like the town burned in the Tung Shao Pass.

The streets were gloomy and quiet, and she couldn't help but notice how few people were walking outside. The sun was setting, but there was still plenty of light to see with. It was like a ghost town and Mulan didn't like it. It sent icy little splinters into her heart.

The Forbidden City would certainly not be like this if she had succeeded where she ended up failing.

Her contemplation was ended when they reached the steps of the palace, which was the most structurally stable out of everything she had seen so far and certainly didn't look like it had been through a siege or even attacked in the first place. Odd.

"My khan!" called two voices in unison. They looked like two brothers, equally large. The only difference was that the one on the right had a tuft of black hair on his otherwise bald head.

Shan Yu shifted behind her and while felt her skin crawl at the more intimate contact between their bodies, she knew she had to pay attention to this interaction. There was likely to be a wealth of information if she paid attention while showing disinterest at the same time.

"Hantu, Baatu," Shan Yu acknowledged. Mulan felt more than saw him incline his head in greeting.

"The others arrived yesterday," the one with the tuft said, Hantu. "Asanti took charge of them in your stead while you were gone and saw that they were bathed, fed, and assigned them rooms from the former concubines' quarters."

"I see you found your runaway," chuckled Baatu. "Did she give you much trouble?"

A third voice scoffed now, coming up from behind the other two. "A Chinese woman, giving our mighty khan trouble? Don't be a fool." This man was thin and had a bow slung over his back.

"This is not just any Chinese woman, Shuurkei," Shan Yu said, and his effect on the men was instantaneous. They straightened immediately, focusing their entire attention on their khan.

Mulan knew was he was going to say next and knew that he was going to make her the number one most hated woman by both the Chinese _and_ the Huns. She bristled, since she had been hoping to be able to catch these men unawares and possibly facilitate her escape.

"This is Fa Mulan, the soldier from the mountains, otherwise known as _Ping_," Shan Yu told them, sounding absurdly proud. At the surprised, scornful, and simultaneously interested looks on the men's faces, Mulan didn't think it could get any worse. "And she will be my khatun."

Mulan frowned at the stunned expressions on the men's faces. The word Shan Yu had said was not a word familiar to her, even though she knew the language to be Mongolian. All she knew was that whatever he had said, it must have been bad.

The men looked baffled for a moment longer, before Shuurkei nodded in acknowledgement and composed himself. Hantu and Baatu followed suit a scant moment later, serious expressions on each of their faces.

Shuurkei, having recovered first, asked, "What do you wish done with the prisoners? Their use is clearly at an end."

Mulan couldn't help it. The prisoners, while they could be anybody, apparently knew her and she surely knew them. It didn't take much deductive skill to know from the conversation that Shan Yu had been looking for the solider nearly responsible for his defeat and certainly the reason for his army's smothering in the Tung Shao Pass, and so any survivors of the army who might know her would be tortured and interrogated until she was found.

The fact that Shan Yu hadn't known she was a woman, hadn't known exactly where to look, and might not have even recognized her if she had put on makeup that day meant that these men, whoever they were, had been loyal to her and not about to give her up.

Mulan froze. There were only three men she knew who felt that way about her—not even Shang would have gone so far to protect her after her betrayal. For all she knew, he despised her, and it wouldn't be unmerited.

Shan Yu was quiet for a moment, although she knew that he had felt the stiffening of her posture when she realized who the prisoners were.

"They suffered greatly for you," he said to her conversationally. "Yao, Ling, Chien Po…they are very loyal men. Your good fortune only lasted as long as it did because of their…rather impressive ability to withstand pain."

Before she could even register what she was doing, Mulan had twisted in her seat and brought her bound hands up in an arc towards Shan Yu's chin. In the close quarters and possibly because the assault was unexpected from a bound, captive woman, he was not quick enough to dodge and the force of the blow smacked his head to the side. Following through with her twist, she fell off the horse in a roll before springing back to her feet.

She paid little mind to the men readying their weapons off to the side because Shan Yu, that bastard of a man, was _laughing_. There was a slight red mark from where her hit had landed, but he was otherwise unscathed.

"Shut up, you bastard," she hissed, hair mussed and cheeks flushed. She looked like a wildcat, feral and dangerous, even unarmed as she was. "They're greater men than you could ever hope to be!"

Shan Yu composed himself, but from the look on his face, his mirth had not yet ended. Shuurkei, Hantu, and Baatu could only watch the interaction like the outsiders they were; they would not act without their khan's orders, not when the woman in question was such an important figure.

"A great man would not allow himself to be captured in the first place," Shan Yu said. "He would prefer to die than to become a prisoner, but that is assuming Chinese man can be consider such at all. They are so very feminine."

Mulan knew he was baiting her and she knew it would be better not to react, but when their audience started laughing, the hatred in her veins flared like lit kindle and she lunged at him, aiming for his sword.

A deft kick in the ribs sent her hurtling to the ground and the pitch of laughter behind her heightened. Down but not out, Mulan made to lunge again, but a signal from her enemy had Hantu grabbing and restraining her while she flailed against him wildly.

Shan Yu was completely calm now, and he wasn't addressing her anymore. "Have them executed," he ordered. Eyeing Mulan speculatively, he went on. "Publicly. Tomorrow at noon."

If the men questioned why it wasn't to be done immediately, they didn't ask because Mulan let out a bellow of rage, kicked Hantu smartly in the groin, and when he loosened his grip, she jerked her head back and nearly broke his nose. The man swore loudly and made a grab at her, Baatu and Shuurkei coming in to assist. Mulan swiftly incapacitated Shuurkei by kicking him in the gut hard enough to knock him down, which caused him to fall backwards into Baatu. While the two of them righted themselves, Mulan relieved Hantu of his sword before he recovered enough to stop her and stood facing all four of her enemies, wild-eyed and challenging.

"If you touch a single hair on their heads, you'll wish you'd killed me at the village," Mulan growled at Shan Yu, her eyes flickering from foe to foe.

Hantu rose at last with a furious grunt and lunged at the woman who had stolen his sword, but she wielded it easily despite her bound hands. He soon had to retreat to avoid being mortally wounded—her ability to aim for vital organs was uncanny, especially with her handicap.

However, Baatu had a sword as well and he quickly engaged her in combat, forcing her onto the defensive. While she had the element of surprise with her at first, the men were seasoned warriors and even if they did not have her intellect and ability to plan, they had survived many more battles than her and were all-around much more skilled than she. Even without that, there was a point where body mass and muscle simply stacked the odds in their favor and before long, Baatu had driven Mulan into Hantu's readied arms and the sword was taken back. Shuurkei had taken the time to ready his bow and arrow should Shan Yu realize how dangerous she was and tell him to kill her—or at least, wound her enough that she wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"That's enough," Shan Yu said sharply when Baatu made to beat Mulan down with his fist. She was already restrained, after all, and it would merely be punishment at that point. "Shuurkei, go to Asanti and have her waiting for her at the palace." The man in question immediately left to have it done, only nodding in acknowledgement before he left.

After Shan Yu dismounted, he handed Ruyun's reins to Baatu and ordered him to bring the horse to the stables, and then told Hantu to relay the news of his arrival to the rest of the palace. Once done giving orders, Shan Yu grabbed Mulan by the bicep and began to drag her towards the palace as the men dispersed with their duties.

Mulan eventually stopped fighting him and simply walked briskly to keep up with his much longer legs. She hadn't been planning on making friends with the Huns, anyway, but in hindsight she shouldn't have fought with them like that. She had revealed some of her fighting style and they would be prepared in the future, and since she certainly hadn't given up her quest to 'save China' as Alba had put it, she needed every advantage she could get.

Soon enough, the palace at the center of the Forbidden City came into view. It was large, but similar to other parts of the city, was also damaged. Compared to the havoc that had been wreaked elsewhere, it was in rather good condition, but it had clearly undergone a battle.

They walked up the many steps and around halfway up, an entourage of Huns came to greet them. Among them was a tall, burly woman, who spoke quickly in Mongolian to Shan Yu, although her eyes lingered on Mulan. Mulan assessed her, ignoring the conversations going on around her, as she had some comprehension of their language but not nearly enough to understand what they were saying.

The woman was probably only a little under half a foot shorter than Shan Yu, which still put her with half a head over Mulan. She wore a simple black robe, belted at the waist, and had sturdy leather boots on instead of any kind of casual footwear. She was built well, muscled in every place a warrior should be. Her face was round and somewhat pointed, but not necessarily homely, and her long black hair was in a high topknot.

Mulan eventually turned her attention back to the conversation, just in time to hear Shan Yu say the word 'khatun' once more as he spoke to the enormous woman. Looked at side-by-side, they could have been related. It seemed to Mulan that most Huns were of a much larger standing than any Chinese man she had ever met. In hindsight, she realized that without her well-placed cannon, there was no way they could have beat them in close combat, even if they had had an equally sizeable army.

Then the woman turned to Mulan. "My name is Asanti," she said, her voice thickly accented despite her apparent fluency. "I will take you to be prepared for the…wedding." At this, she glanced at Shan Yu skeptically before shrugging. If she noticed Mulan's expression of utter revulsion, she didn't comment.

Before Mulan could be passed off, however, Shan Yu leaned down and whispered into her ear, "The dungeons are heavily guarded. If you can make it past my men without killing them…I may grant you leniency."

Mulan took only a split second to comprehend his meaning. He was…giving her a chance to save her comrades? But if he was granting her leniency, then he obviously didn't expect her to actually succeed in freeing them.

She was still looking at her husband-to-be suspiciously, her eyes never leaving his as she was dragged away. The smug, taunting smirk on his face was evidence that a challenge had been issued. It could be—no, certainly was—a trap. But if she did nothing, Yao, Ling, Chien Po…they would die tomorrow.

Then again, regardless of Shan Yu's taunt, it wasn't like she would leave them to their fate. There had never been any other choice in her mind.

Mulan immediately began plotting.

* * *

><p><em>Please review! It really does make a difference! :) (Also, apparently being 4am also makes a huge difference. Who woulda thunk it?)<em>

_Cheers,_

_Of Healing Love_


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